Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher kept pace atop M&A PR advisors in the US through the third quarter, advising 79 transactions so far this year, according to The Deal.
Joele Frank stayed ahead of No. 2 advisor Sard Verbinnen & Co., which logged 61 transactions through Q3. Both firms worked the $8.4B REIT combination of New York REIT and The JBG Companies in May.
The leaders were well ahead of the rest of the top five, including Kekst and Company (30), Abernathy MacGregor Group (27) and Brunswick Group (23).
Among proxy advisors, Innisfree M&A Inc. worked 31 transactions, followed by McKenzie Partners (17) and D.F. King & Co. (16).
The Deal reported high valuations, geopolitical uncertainties (including Brexit), and fear of regulators kept the M&A dollar total below last year through Q3. For the recent quarter alone, The Deal tallied $495.5M in volume, compared with $861.7M in Q3 o 2015, or a 42.4% decline.
The year's blockbuster transaction -- Bayer's $62B play for Monsanto kicked off in May -- involves Finsbury, Hering Schuppener and Brunswick Group, among others.
Spectrum Science acquires clinical trial recruitment and engagement solutions provider Continuum Clinical.
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Kekst CNC reps Palladium Equity Partners and its joint venture affiliate, Palladium Heritage, on the acquisition of National Auto Parts, USA;, NAP San Diego; and National Auto Parts-Oakland to form Collision Auto Parts, a platform serving customers in the automotive aftermarket collision repair sector.
ICR has acquired Bullfrog + Baum, the 23-year-old PR shop focused on the hospitality, lifestyle, travel and consumer marketing sectors.
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