FIS to Buy SunGard for $9.1B

 Fidelity National Information Services, a provider of banking and payments technology, agreed to buy software maker SunGard Data Systems in a deal valued at $9.1 billion, including the assumption of debt.

FIS, as the firm is known, will issue a combination of cash and stock to acquire all of SunGard’s equity, Jacksonville, Fla.-based FIS said Wednesday. The combined company will have more than $9.2 billion in annual revenue, 55,000 employees and operate in more than 100 countries, FIS said.

“This is a significant milestone for FIS,” Chief Executive Gary Norcross said in a news release.
“We are enhancing our ability to empower our clients and deepen client relationships through an expanded full-service offering.”

The acquisition, financed with a mix of 45% cash and 55% FIS stock, will help the buyer push into capital markets and wealth management sectors, according to a presentation on the company’s website. The firm forecast $200 million in cost savings by 2017, and said it will temporarily suspend share repurchases. The deal is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

SunGard, which makes software for financial institutions, is owned by seven private- equity firms, including Silver Lake Management, Providence Equity Partners and KKR & Co. The Wayne, Pa.-based company filed to go public in June. Its long- term debt was $4.67 billion at the end of March, according to regulatory filings, while cash was $555 million.
SunGard was acquired by the private-equity firms for about $11 billion in 2005, when leveraged buyouts by large groups of investors were more popular.

Fidelity National Financial Inc. spun off Fidelity National Information Services in 2006.