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Investing.com - William Blair downgraded Couchbase Inc (NASDAQ:BASE) from Outperform to Market Perform following the announcement of the company’s acquisition by private equity firm Haveli Investments. The company, which boasts impressive gross profit margins of 87.8%, has seen its stock surge nearly 23% over the past six months.
Haveli Investments, founded by the former president of Vista, entered an agreement Thursday to acquire Couchbase in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.5 billion, or $24.50 per share. The deal represents an enterprise-value-to-sales multiple of 5.7 times William Blair’s calendar 2025 estimate. With current revenue of $214.7 million and growing at 12.8% year-over-year, the company trades near its 52-week high.
The acquisition price offers a 29% premium to Wednesday’s closing stock price and a 67% premium to the closing price of March 27, 2025, the last full trading day before Haveli’s initial investment in Couchbase was announced.
William Blair indicated the deal represents "generally a good outcome for BASE shareholders" with a reasonable multiple being paid for a company at Couchbase’s current scale and growth rate.
The firm noted that despite Couchbase’s growth trajectory, the company had yet to reach profitability at the time of the acquisition agreement.
In other recent news, Couchbase Inc. announced its acquisition by Haveli Investments in a deal valued at approximately $1.5 billion, with shareholders receiving $24.50 per share in cash. This acquisition represents a significant premium to previous stock prices and will result in Couchbase becoming a privately-held company. Following this announcement, Rosenblatt Securities downgraded Couchbase’s stock rating from Buy to Neutral, citing limited upside potential beyond the acquisition price. Meanwhile, UBS analysts raised their price target for Couchbase to $20, maintaining a Neutral rating after the company reported mixed first-quarter results. Couchbase’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew by 21%, though overall revenue growth was more modest. Piper Sandler analysts also increased their price target to $20, highlighting the strong performance of Couchbase’s Capella offering, which saw an 84% year-over-year ARR growth. William Blair analysts reiterated an Outperform rating, noting the stock’s attractive valuation compared to its peers and potential growth in Couchbase’s Capella engine. These developments reflect a period of strategic transitions and evaluations for Couchbase in the market.
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