Informa is acquiring Industry Dive for up to $525 million

Industry Dive, a Washington, D.C.-based business news company, has signed an agreement to be acquired by Informa, a publicly traded events and publishing company, for an enterprise value of $525 million, reports Sara Fischer of Axios.

Fischer reports, “It’s a great outcome for Industry Dive, which has grown its business to over $100 million in annual revenue over the past 10 years.

“By the numbers: The deal values Industry Dive at a cash value of $389 million, according to the source. That number doesn’t include potential earn-outs based on revenue growth or equity that’s being rolled over into the new company. The total enterprise value of the deal is $525 million, nearly 5x the company’s annual revenue.

Industry Dive is expecting roughly $110 million in revenue this year with a profit margin of 30%, according to a source familiar with its finances. The company has been profitable since 2013, the year after it was founded.
Roughly 380 people work at Industry Dive, with around 115 of those employees working in editorial roles. All employees will remain as part of the deal.”

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Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.