Fairness opinionsDigital / HealthTech2023

NextGen Healthcare acquired by Thoma Bravo: fairness opinion by Morgan Stanley

Announced September 5, 2023 · One-step merger · All cash · DEFM14A filed October 6, 2023
Digital / HealthTech PM / EMR
Enterprise value
$1.8B
EV / LTM EBITDA
16.1x
EBITDA $112M · 17% margin
EV / LTM revenue
2.76x
revenue $653M
DCF discount rate
8.9%–10.6%
Perpetuity growth

Deal terms

ConsiderationAll cash
Price per share$23.95
Premium
Premium basis
StructureOne-step merger
Termination fee$41.2M (2.5% of equity)
Reverse termination fee$98.8M
Go-shopNone
Outside date

Implied value per share by method vs. $23.95 offer

Selected companies — AV / CY2024E Adjusted EBITDA (Street Consensus) $17.50 – $24.50
Selected companies — AV / CY2024E Adjusted EBITDA (Projections) $17.75 – $25.25
Precedent transactions — AV / LTM (6/30/2023) Adjusted EBITDA $20.25 – $33.00
Discounted cash flow $19.50 – $28.00
Illustrative Leveraged Buyout Analysis (reference only) $17.50 – $22.75
Historical Trading Range (reference only) $15.23 – $21.99
Unaffected Broker Price Targets (reference only) $14.50 – $22.75

Ranges as disclosed in the banker’s summary of analyses; the red line marks the per-share consideration.

Opinion of Morgan Stanley to the target board

Delivered September 5, 2023 · Fee $29.0M ($24.0M contingent on closing), $5.0M on delivery of the opinion

Discounted cash flow assumptions

Discount rate8.9%–10.6%
BasisWACC estimated using CAPM: 6% market risk premium, 4.2% risk-free rate (10-year U.S. Treasury as of September 1, 2023), 1.04 beta
Terminal valuePerpetuity growth
Perpetuity growth2.0%–3.0%
Exit multiple
Projection period2023-2028 (management estimates through 2024; extrapolations 2025-2028)
Projections usedNextGen management Projections (Unaudited Prospective Financial Information)
Implied value per share$19.50–$28.00

Cash flows discounted to present value as of June 30, 2023. Net debt treated convertible note as debt of $278.9-$304.0 million assumed repaid in full following closing, plus fair value of earnout obligations; net cash assumed $185.6 million (June 30, 2023 cash adjusted for $31.3 million DOJ settlement payment and $1.2 million legal fees).

Selected public companies (2)

R1 RCM Inc. · Veradigm Inc.

MultiplePeer lowPeer medianPeer highRange appliedImplied per share
AV / CY2024E Adjusted EBITDA (Street Consensus)7.7x10.2x12.6x 9.0x–12.5x $17.50–$24.50
AV / CY2024E Adjusted EBITDA (Projections)7.7x10.2x12.6x 9.0x–12.5x $17.75–$25.25

Selected precedent transactions (7)

DateTargetAcquirerMultiple
2017-07WebMD Health Corp.Internet Brands (KKR & Co. L.P. Portfolio Company)12.3x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2018-06Cotiviti Holdings, Inc.Verscend Technologies, Inc. (Veritas Capital Backed)18.1x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2018-11athenahealth, Inc.Veritas Capital, Evergreen Coast Capital15.2x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2020-07MultiPlan, Inc.Churchill Capital Corp III15.4x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2020-12HMS Holdings Corp.Gainwell Technologies (Veritas Capital Backed)21.2x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2021-01Change Healthcare Inc.UnitedHealth Group Incorporated14.5x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
2021-08Inovalon Holdings, Inc.Nordic Capital, Insight Partners, 22C Capital29.3x AV/LTM Adj. EBITDA
MultipleLowMedianHighRange appliedImplied per share
AV / LTM (6/30/2023) Adjusted EBITDA12.3x15.4x29.3x 12.5x–20.0x $20.25–$33.00

Other analyses

AnalysisSummaryImplied per share
Illustrative Leveraged Buyout Analysis (reference only)Hypothetical LBO assuming transaction date of June 30, 2023, 4.76-year investment period ending March 31, 2028, leverage of 6.0x LTM adjusted EBITDA, target IRRs of 17.5%-22.5%, and exit multiples of 9.0x-11.0x LTM adjusted EBITDA.$17.50–$22.75
Historical Trading Range (reference only)52-week trading range through August 22, 2023 (day prior to news reports of a potential transaction): intraday low of $15.23 and high of $21.99.$15.23–$21.99
Unaffected Broker Price Targets (reference only)Analyst price targets published on or before September 1, 2023 ranged from $16.00 to $25.00; discounted back 12 months at a 10.4% cost of equity to imply $14.50-$22.75 per share.$14.50–$22.75

Aggregate fee of approximately $29 million; approximately $5 million earned upon the earlier of advising the Board it was prepared to render its opinion and the rendering of the opinion, and approximately $24 million contingent on consummation of the Merger. In the prior two years Morgan Stanley received aggregate fees of approximately $20-40 million from entities affiliated with Thoma Bravo.

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Management projections

Projection yearYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5CAGR
Revenue$717M$775M$839M$908M$983M8.2%
Revenue growth9.7%8.2%8.2%8.2%8.3%
EBITDA$132M$152M$179M$210M$244M16.5%
EBITDA growth18.5%14.9%17.4%17.5%16.1%
EBITDA margin18%20%21%23%25%
Implied EV / EBITDA13.6x11.8x10.1x8.6x7.4x

Year-1 growth is against LTM at announcement ($653M revenue, $112M EBITDA); later years are year over year.

NextGen management prepared unaudited prospective financial information covering the second, third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2023 and fiscal years 2024 through 2028, on a risk-adjusted basis, including Adjusted EBITDA, EBIT, NOPAT and unlevered free cash flow. Management estimates ran through 2024 with extrapolations for 2025-2028 based on management assumptions, all reviewed and approved for Morgan Stanley's use. Key figures disclosed include CY2024E adjusted EBITDA of $146.1 million under the Projections (versus $143.0 million under Street Consensus) and LTM (6/30/2023) adjusted EBITDA of $118.2 million. The Projections were not provided to Thoma Bravo or any other bidder.

Process notes

Going-private sale of NextGen Healthcare to Thoma Bravo at $23.95 per share in cash; single financial advisor (Morgan Stanley) delivering one opinion to the full Board (no special committee). Morgan Stanley disclosed significant prior relationships with Thoma Bravo (approximately $20-40 million of fees in the prior two years, lender/administrative agent to Thoma Bravo portfolio companies, and possible investments in Thoma Bravo funds). Termination fee was negotiated down from 4.0% to 2.5% of equity value ($41.179 million) and a reverse termination fee of 6.0% of equity value ($98.829 million) was added; Thoma Bravo Fund limited guaranty capped at $98.829 million. Transaction funded entirely with equity financing. LBO, historical trading range and analyst price target analyses were presented for reference only and not as part of the fairness analysis.

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