CBIZ shares soar 17% after Grant Thornton agrees to buy company in $5 billion cash deal

Cbiz shareholders will receive $55 per share, a 17.8% premium to the stock’s previous close. The shares rose 17.5% in premarket trade after the announcement.

The deal will make Grant Thornton the fifth-largest provider of professional, tax and advisory services in the US, behind Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. The combined platform will have a presence in more than 20 countries and territories and generate nearly $7.5 billion in revenue.

“By combining our multinational platform with CBIZ’s strong market presence, we’re broadening our ability to support businesses through every stage of growth — from early development to global scale,” Grant Thornton Advisors CEO Jim Peko said.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. It includes a “go-shop” period that allows CBIZ to seek competing offers until August 27.

Goldman Sachs advised CBIZ on the transaction. Deutsche Bank is the lead financial adviser for Grant Thornton Advisors.

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Deal overshadows mixed earnings

The acquisition announcement came alongside CBIZ’s second-quarter results, which showed a clear earnings beat but weaker-than-expected revenue.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, CBIZ reported adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.91, above analysts’ estimate of $0.8046. Revenue came in at $682.2 million, about 3.2% below the $704.9 million expected by analysts.

Revenue was down 0.2% from a year earlier, hurt by a similar decline in the company’s core financial services business. Adjusted EBITDA fell 14.3% year-on-year to $103.1 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin narrowed to 15.1% from 17.6%.

On a GAAP basis, net income dropped 55.6% to $18.6 million, or $0.31 per diluted share. The decline reflected higher operating expenses and acquisition-related costs tied to the integration of Marcum, which CBIZ bought in 2024.

The CBIZ deal is another sign of consolidation in the US accounting industry, where mid-tier firms are trying to build scale and narrow the gap with the Big Four.

Baker Tilly and Moss Adams combined last year in a $7 billion deal. CBIZ had also expanded through acquisitions, including its $2.3 billion purchase of accounting firm Marcum in 2024.

Grant Thornton has been expanding since receiving investment from a consortium led by New Mountain Capital in 2024. New Mountain is making a fresh investment to support the CBIZ transaction, which the companies said is the largest deal of its kind in more than 25 years.

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