July 18, 2016 — Brian MacDonald’s turn around plan for CDK Global appears to be off to a good start, according to preliminary results for its fourth quarter fiscal year earnings (ending June 30, 2016). MacDonald, who was appointed president and CEO of CDK earlier this year, stepped up the company’s transformation plan that was… Continue Reading
July 7, 2016 — The automotive retail technology world is dominated by three players today — Cox Automotive, CDK Global, and Reynolds and Reynolds. On the CRM side, the major players are DealerSocket and ELead1One. Meanwhile, Salesforce is hovering around the industry. The question is, will this power structure continue over the next two to… Continue Reading
July 4, 2016 — Private equity firm Thoma Bravo announced Friday that it is acquiring Trader Corp. from Apax Partners for $1.57 billion. Trader Corp. is the parent of autoTRADER.ca (no affiliation with Autotrader in the U.S. or the U.K.). The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Several companies — including possible… Continue Reading
June 27, 2016 — Web services firm ReachLocal announced this evening that it is being acquired by Gannett for approximately $4.60 a share in an enterprise deal totaling $156 million. ReachLocal provides website and digital marketing services to nearly 16,000 local businesses including car dealerships. Gannett, which recently failed in its bid to acquire competitor Tribune Publishing,… Continue Reading
June 27, 2016 — Automotive stocks did not escape the carnage Friday as a reported $2.1 trillion was wiped off the books across the world’s stock exchanges following Thursday’s stunning vote by Great Britain to exit the European Union. In the U.S., the Dow Jones plunged 611 points. The selloff in automotive was across the… Continue Reading
June 22, 2016 — Normally the announcement of a new board appointment isn’t big news, but yesterday’s news that CDK Global’s board has elected Lithium CEO Robert “Rob” Tarkoff to its board is another sign of the company’s ongoing overhaul. CDK has come under pressure from investors to speed up its transformation plan which includes a massive restructuring… Continue Reading
June 10, 2016 — Cox Automotive is still working to properly align its pieces following the $4.1 billion acquisition of DealerTrack last fall. As of NADA, it appeared that the restructuring was complete, but today, executives are announcing internally a series of moves realigning some its most visible pieces. The big move Cox is making…
June 9, 2016 — (UPDATED June 18) — CDK Global activist investor Elliott Management followed up its letter from May 4 with a second letter yesterday urging the tech firm to move faster in implementing its capital return plan while being more transparent with shareholders. Five hours later, CDK announced it is accelerating its $1…
June 3, 2016 — Internet Brands, owned by private equity firm KKR, acquired Auto Credit Express earlier this week. With the acquisition, Internet Brands creates an expanded presence into the subprime vehicle loan market. Auto Credit Express, founded in 1999, matches subprime customers with financing lenders and dealers. It also provides training for dealers selling to subprime… Continue Reading
May 30, 2016 — UPDATED — A swift kick in the butt from an activist investor followed by a company-wide restructuring has CDK Global’s stock price climbing while possibly signaling the technology firm could be sold within the next several months. This report analyzes the opportunities and challenges presented by the new restructuring and what it…