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Is Compass (COMP) a takeover target?

A leveraged buyout does not work for Compass on its latest figures: its EBITDA margin is only 2.4% ($305M on revenue of $12.6B), too thin to carry buyout debt. Historically 4.1% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.81× the average).

Share price$9.22
Market value$8.0B
Enterprise value$10.3B
Cash$841M
Debt$3.1B
Revenue, 12 months$12.6B
Revenue growth+90%
EBITDA, 12 months$305M

Why a leveraged buyout does not fit

Compass kept 2.4% of its revenue as EBITDA over the last 12 months ($305M on $12.6B). A margin that thin cannot carry the debt a leveraged buyout needs — a small dip in sales would leave nothing for interest — so the model gives no buyout price.

What a takeover could cost

Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Compass would cost about $12.22 a share, $10.5B for all its shares.

Premium%Price a shareAll shares
Low end (a quarter of deals paid less)20%$11.06$9.5B
Median32.5%$12.22$10.5B
High end (a quarter paid more)51.8%$14.00$12.1B

The odds, from history

Historically 4.1% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.81× the average). Its figures put it in decile 4 of 10 (10 = the most likely to be bought). The odds come from a model of every merger proxy, tender-offer response and going-private statement filed on EDGAR since 2011, set against each company's size, margins, debt, cash flow and growth the year before.

Compass' latest quarter

Compass, Q3 2026: revenue $3.9B (+111% year over year), operating margin 2.2%, net earnings $63.0M, operating cash flow $248M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.

Questions

Is Compass being acquired?

No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.

Could private equity buy Compass?

A leveraged buyout does not work for Compass on its latest figures: its EBITDA margin is only 2.4% ($305M on revenue of $12.6B), too thin to carry buyout debt. A margin that thin leaves almost nothing to pay interest with, so buyout debt does not fit.

What would a takeover of Compass cost?

Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Compass would cost about $12.22 a share, $10.5B for all its shares.

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Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.