Filing Flows › GoDaddy (GDDY) › Takeover & LBO
Is GoDaddy (GDDY) a takeover target?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($149.93 a share) would return about 5% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $96.42 a share (−16% against today's $115.33). Historically 2.0% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.39× the average).
The buyout, step by step
| Entry | Amount | How |
|---|---|---|
| Offer price a share | $149.93 | today's $115.33 plus 30% |
| × shares | 125.7 million | |
| = Equity value | $18.8B | |
| + Debt refinanced | $3.8B | |
| − Cash | $1.1B | |
| = Enterprise value | $21.5B | 15.3× EBITDA of $1.4B |
| Fees | $430M | 2% of the price |
| New debt | $7.8B | 5.5× EBITDA at 7.65% a year; the limit that binds: 5.5× EBITDA |
| Buyer's own money | $14.2B | 65% of the cost |
5 years under the buyer
| Year | Revenue | EBITDA | Interest | Free cash flow | Debt left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $5.5B | $1.5B | $593M | $666M | $7.1B |
| Year 2 | $5.8B | $1.6B | $542M | $772M | $6.3B |
| Year 3 | $6.1B | $1.7B | $483M | $880M | $5.4B |
| Year 4 | $6.3B | $1.7B | $416M | $986M | $4.4B |
| Year 5 | $6.5B | $1.8B | $340M | $1.1B | $3.4B |
The exit and the buyer's return
| Exit | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Exit multiple | 12.2× EBITDA | today's trading multiple, before any premium |
| Enterprise value at exit | $21.6B | |
| − Debt left | $3.4B | |
| = Buyer's equity | $18.2B | |
| Money multiple | 1.28× | on $14.2B put in |
| Buyer's yearly return (IRR) | 5.1% |
Price against return
What the buyer makes at other premiums over today's $115.33; the IRR reaches 20% at $96.42 a share.
| Premium | Price a share | Buyer's IRR |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $126.86 | 10.2% |
| 20% | $138.40 | 7.5% |
| 30% | $149.93 | 5.1% |
| 40% | $161.46 | 3.1% |
| 50% | $173.00 | 1.2% |
The figures used
| Figure | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, last 12 months | $5.2B | |
| EBITDA, last 12 months | $1.4B | 27.2% of revenue |
| Depreciation and amortization | $77.0M | |
| Capital spending | $28.5M | |
| Debt | $3.8B | |
| Cash | $1.1B | |
| Share price | $115.33 | on Nov 6, 2026 |
Fixed rules, the same as the interactive view's starting point: the shares are bought at today's price plus 30%, the company's debt is refinanced and fees take 2%. New debt is the least of 5.5× EBITDA, 65% of the price and the amount whose interest EBITDA covers 2 times, at 7.65% a year (SOFR 3.89% plus the high-yield B spread 3.26% plus 0.5%, rates of Oct 15, 2026). Revenue grows 6.4% in the first year — the company's own rate, held between −3% and +8% — fading to 3% by year 5; the EBITDA margin, depreciation and capital spending stay at today's share of revenue; working capital takes 10% of each year's added revenue; tax is 22% of profit after interest. Every dollar of free cash flow repays debt. After 5 years the buyer sells at today's multiple of EBITDA.
What a takeover could cost
Takeovers in its sector paid a median premium of 30% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 12% to 31%), according to the 14 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, GoDaddy would cost about $149.93 a share, $18.8B for all its shares.
| Premium | % | Price a share | All shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end (a quarter of deals paid less) | 12% | $129.17 | $16.2B |
| Median | 30% | $149.93 | $18.8B |
| High end (a quarter paid more) | 31% | $151.08 | $19.0B |
The odds, from history
Historically 2.0% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.39× the average). Its figures put it in decile 1 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.
GoDaddy's latest quarter
GoDaddy, Q3 2026: revenue $1.3B (+6% year over year), operating margin 27.0%, net earnings $262M, operating cash flow $488M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Is GoDaddy being acquired?
No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.
Could private equity buy GoDaddy?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($149.93 a share) would return about 5% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; the most a buyer could pay for a 20% return is $96.42 a share (−16% against today's $115.33).
What would a takeover of GoDaddy cost?
Takeovers in its sector paid a median premium of 30% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 12% to 31%), according to the 14 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, GoDaddy would cost about $149.93 a share, $18.8B for all its shares.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.