Financial Characteristics of Acquired Firms in the Canadian Food Industry

Mergers and acquisitions represent an important reallocation of resources. In 1998, the value of these transactions jumped to almost $160 billion in Canada. The motives for firms to merge or acquire other firms change for different periods and industries. This study provides a financial profile of Canadian corporations in the food industry that were acquired during the 1996-98 period. Overall, acquired firms did not represent a significant share of the total sales of incorporated Canadian food firms. Firms with balanced (or matched) growth-resources, less liquidity and leverage were more likely to be acquired in 1997 and 1998. Large firms with matched growth resources were also more likely to be taken over