And sometimes the acquisition is really just about acquiring the assets, such as the customer list*, and then they are left with having to run something that they never really wanted until they can figure out what to do with it.
Right, buying the revenue to prop up the top and bottom line is also
a reason to acquire. Usually, this is based on assessed
profitability, but what tends to go unseen during the due diligence
process is what is actually contributing to that profitability.
I mean, typically, if a company is doing very well, it won't try to
get itself sold. Well, not easily anyway...