Source: Advent Software.
Looking at the details within Advent Software's financials tell just how strong a success story the company has enjoyed recently. Recurring run rates jumped 7% to $383.4 million on an annualized basis, with new bookings equating to an additional $10.1 million in annual revenue, a 15% faster pace than in the fourth quarter of 2013. For the full year, Advent improved on its already near-perfect renewal rate among customers, with 2014 coming in up nearly a full percentage point to 98%. Gross margins climbed slightly, but operating margins showed substantial improvement of 1.4 percentage points, helping to lift adjusted operating income by 8%.
Beyond the financials, Advent celebrated a year in which it saw substantial upgrades to several of its key products. In particular, key updates to its Advent Portfolio Exchange integration software, its Geneva global portfolio-management tool, and its Moxy platform for trading, order management, and automated portfolio construction, Advent has kept the bulk of its customers happy. At the same time, improvements to its Black Diamond tools will keep independent advisors and wealth managers in the loop with improved functionality as well.
What's ahead for Advent Software?
The buyout bid from SS&C is a $2.7 billion cash deal, which will pay Advent shareholders $44.25 per share. That's about 7% higher than the stock's closing price Monday before the announcement, but Advent had already soared 36% in January as rumors of a potential deal became more widespread. With SS&C expecting the deal to close in the second quarter, Advent shareholders will probably get one more chance to see how the company does as an independent entity.
Advent CEO Pete Hess. Source: Advent.
CEO Pete Hess praised the buyout. Hess noted, "I see the combination of Advent and SS&C as a powerful team that can take a big leap forward in the value proposition we offer the industry." He further pointed out that Advent will remain its own entity under the SS&C umbrella, giving its customers the reassurance that they'll keep getting the high-quality customer service that they've come to expect.
For investors, though, the buyout will be bittersweet. In the past, Advent Software did a good job of persuading activist investors that the prospects for quick riches weren't its high priority. Texas-based private equity firm TPG Capital bought a 15% stake in the company almost two years ago from major shareholder SPO Advisory, when Advent was considering an outright sale. Yet SPO Advisory left the picture shortly thereafter, and over the past six months, TPG has exited its position. That left founder Stephanie DiMarco in a better position to determine the fate of the company, especially given her own sizable 5% stake in Advent.
In the end, assuming the deal gets approved, investors will have to be satisfied with the stellar returns that have produced returns of more than 130% over the past two years and an annualized 30% average return in the six years since the financial crisis. That's an impressive feat for any company, but Advent Software might well just leave investors wishing they could have squeezed a little more from their investment.
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The article Advent Software Gets Buyout Bid As Earnings Remain Solid originally appeared on Fool.com.
Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends SS&C Technologies. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
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