Jeff Bezos, Ian Read — we have your 2018 M&A horoscopes

It’s that time again, when we scan the stars for clues about the year ahead in mergers. What follows is our second annual Gadfly compilation of dealmaker horoscopes: 12 CEOs and top executives across a variety of industries—matched with their zodiac signs—who appear destined for mergers and acquisitions in 2018.

Capricorn: Jeff Bezos, chairman and CEO of Amazon.com Inc.
Capricorn, you are known for your self-control and discipline, traits that have helped neutralize the outlandish deal rumors that frequently surround Amazon. Still, in 2017 you delivered a surprise—the $13.7 billion deal for Whole Foods Market—proving that you’re willing to go big when and where necessary. The ease and success of this bet thus far have made you more comfortable with the idea of large-scale M&A. Whatever the case may be, the stars point to a more aggressive you
in 2018.

Pisces: Charlie Ergen, chairman of Dish Network Corp.
Like a slippery fish, Dish’s value is tough to get a handle on. It’s in the shrinking business of satellite TV, yet its true worth lies in $40 billion of wireless spectrum licenses that it’s not using. With the dawn of 5G networks and the broader industry’s desire for scale, there will never be as great a premium placed on your spectrum assets, nor as many suitors for Dish, as there are right now. Miss the chance and shareholders will revolt.
Aries: Shari Redstone, vice chair of CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc.
Aries, the ram, fights to win. That’s why it gnaws at you to see Viacom still losing in the TV ratings and streaming battle, even if CEO Bob Bakish’s efforts have delivered some faint glimmers of hope. Your competitive nature also means you won’t let CBS sit out this merger round, which is shaping up to be the media industry’s most extreme consolidation of power to date. Putting your family’s businesses back under one roof is a clear option, but it might not be meaningful enough.

Taurus: Brian Goldner, chairman and CEO of Hasbro Inc.
You are a bull known to roam the merger fields, and yet you have no deals of size to speak of. Mattel Inc. turned down your recent offer — but don’t give up. This toy merger is decades in the making, and it’s still worth it. In the past you’ve made other approaches to DreamWorks Animation and Lions Gate, two movie studios. It’s certainly good to think outside the
toy box.

Gemini: Ian Read, chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc.
Gemini’s dual nature has been on display at Pfizer. While your day-to-day duties are managing a conglomerate that sells treatments for everything, lately there’s been an obsession with Pfizer’s taxes and takeover opportunities. The treatment you acquired through the Medivation deal last year has already fallen short of expectations, and you’re contending with older drugs and a pipeline just weak enough to demand action now.
Gemini: Robert Sands, CEO of Constellation Brands Inc.
What your father started as a New York business more than 70 years ago has grown into a $44 billion premium-priced beverage giant — with the help of your M&A intuition. You’ve scooped up a number of craft brewers and big brands, and that’s widened margins to enviable levels, providing the firepower for more deals.

Cancer: Mark Clouse, CEO of Pinnacle Foods Inc.
Cancer, the itinerant crab, carries its shell around so it can set up a home wherever need be. It’s a fitting symbol for how you’ve helped Pinnacle Foods adapt to a changing environment, marking your territory in the better-for-you foods arena and shaking up the old Wish-Bone salad dressing brand. Now that the integration of the Boulder Brands acquisition (struck by your predecessor in 2015) is complete, you can start thinking about what other tidy portfolios or individual brands should be next on your list.

Leo: Victor Luis, CEO of Tapestry Inc.
You’re a natural-born leader with a penchant for creativity, and that’s come in handy as you try to fuse several affordable-luxury brands into one company. Your chosen name for the amalgamation of the legacy Coach business with the acquisitions of Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade — Tapestry, really? — could use some work, but becoming a more diversified conglomerate is the right idea. The process of integrating Kate Spade and getting the brand back on track after years of deep discounting is still ongoing, but you already seem ready for more takeovers.

Virgo: Jamie Miller, chief financial officer of General Electric Co.
Virgo, your strong work ethic landed you a job as GE’s chief financial officer, but your preference for order will be tested as the industrial giant works through its current state of crisis. So far, you’ve impressed investors with your confidence, candour and can-do attitude, even as an attempt at greater transparency in financial disclosures fell short of the mark. Among the items on your immediate to-do list is assisting CEO John Flannery with his plan to dispose of $20 billion of assets, including the transportation business you previously headed.

Libra: Tom Rutledge, chairman and CEO of Charter Communications Inc.
Who better to work alongside an astute billionaire like John Malone than a Libra whose nature is to keep harmony and balance? Still, you find yourself in a unique situation. Charter’s most recent role in the M&A landscape has been as an acquirer, with your megadeal for Time Warner Cable that closed in 2016 and related takeover of Bright House Networks. A next logical target would seem to be Cox Communications. However, Malone may have other plans for you.

Scorpio: Jack Dorsey, chairman and CEO of Square Inc. and CEO of Twitter Inc.
Ambitious Scorpio, it may be time to let go of one of your babies — but which? It’s not ideal that you’re still running both companies, despite the fact that their stocks have posted their biggest annual rallies since going public. Sell ratings have become more numerous, though. While Twitter has always been seen as the most vulnerable to bids, Square stands out as the more compelling play. You’ve expanded its offerings with services such as loans and inventory software that are attracting larger merchant customers.

Sagittarius: Steven Temares, CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.
As a Sagittarius, you value your freedom, but it may be time to relinquish control of the Bed Bath & Beyond business you’ve run for more than 14 years and explore a sale to a private equity firm. The double-digit slide in its shares as third-quarter results showed ongoing margin challenges didn’t do much to help. Investments in technology and marketing seem too little too late, and the company’s battle with coupon demons is unlikely to subside amid heated competition from Amazon and
Wayfair Inc.

— Bloomberg

Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist covering deals, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., media and telecommunications. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News. and Brooke Sutherland is a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist covering deals and industrial companies. She
previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.