The Strategist

Salesforce to buy Tableau for $ 15.3 bln



06/13/2019 - 12:14



IT company Salesforce.com concluded the largest deal in the field of mergers and acquisitions in its history by purchasing Tableau Software for $ 15.3 billion.



Salesforce to buy Tableau for $ 15.3 bln
Salesforce is known worldwide for its cloud-based CRM, and Tableau Software specializes in cloud computing, database processing, infographic construction, and data visualization for analysis. Tableau is headquartered in Seattle, and its number of customers reaches about 86,000 companies, including such giants as Verizon Communications and Netflix.

Within the transaction, Tableau shareholders will receive 1.103 Salesforce shares at a price of $ 177.88 per share. In 2018, Salesforce bought the US software maker MuleSoft for $ 5.9 billion. Once the transaction is completed, Tableau will continue to operate independently under the direction of CEO Adam Selipsky and his team.

Salesforce announced the deal a few days after IT giant Alphabet bought Looker, an analytics company that works with big data cloud computing, for $ 2.6 billion.

Salesforce representatives said the deal is likely to increase earnings to $ 400 million by 2020, but reduce the adjusted earnings from $ 0.39 to $ 0.37 per share. The adjusted earnings in 2020 are expected to range from $ 2.51 to $ 2.53 per share. Analysts expected earnings of $ 2.90 per share, according to IBES from Refinitiv.

“The purchase of Tableau speeds up the Salesforce roadmap for the Customer 360 project, which helps companies get a complete picture of their customers, understand their preferences and key needs, and expand their knowledge of what products a particular customer uses, as well as their key needs,” says Steve Koenig of Wedbush Securities, quoted by Reuters.

Analyzing a large amount of data is a complex process that is used to identify hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends, and customer preferences. The data obtained with this analysis often helps companies make better business decisions. “Tableau helps people visualize and evaluate data, and Salesforce helps people attract and understand customers,” said Salesforce co-chairman Marc Benioff.

Once the news was published, Tableau shares jumped 35% to $ 169.50, while Salesforce shares fell 5% to $ 156.43.

source: reuters.com