Published on: July 2, 2020

Strategically important acquisition in Germany

Gamma is acquiring around 80% of HFO Holding AG (HFO), one of the leading SIP Trunk providers in Germany, for an initial consideration of €20.4m in cash with an option to purchase the remaining shares over the next three years. In line with its stated strategy, Gamma can invest and use its commercial strength and expertise to accelerate HFO’s growth and replicate the Group’s success in the UK by developing a market leading position in Germany. Noting net debt of €2.9m when the deal closed, the implied historical EV/EBITDA multiple of about 10x compares with Gamma’s equivalent of 18.7x. We estimate that the deal will be 4% earnings enhancing in the first full year of ownership and our estimate upgrades reflect that. The European markets for cloud telephony in which Gamma is now represented will ultimately overtake the UK in size, providing Gamma with significant future growth potential. We view this acquisition as another significant step in Gamma’s strategic aim to expand into Europe via exposure to another lucrative market opportunity.