Advanced Computer Software expands homecare division with Cerrus Saturn acquisition

Advanced Computer Software (AIM: ASW) (ACS) has acquired Surrey-based software firm Cerrus Ltd for 0.37m in cash. The deal adds Cerrus' Saturn software suite, which is designed for community care and support management services.

According to ACS, Cerrus has annual recurring revenues of approximately 0.6m. The Saturn product has over 35,000 users, managing the delivery of care, resource management and organisational financial requirements across more than 60 community health and social care providers in the UK and Ireland.

This acquisition builds on ACS's previous acquisition in the homecare sector, in July 2009 the company bought StaffPlan in a cash and equity deal worth a combined 1.36m. ACS said the acquisition complements its Connect/Monitor products, and the integration of Saturn will extend the group's product portfolio in the social and community care market.

The acquisitive software company has been particularly busy in recent weeks, in February the company announced a massive 100m deal to buy Redac Holdings Ltd, owner of software group COA Solutions. Surrey-based COA provides software to the public and private sectors. Its principal products include systems for budgeting around patient pathways, data analysis, business intelligence, compliance, accounting and billing, procurement and document management.

The addition of the COA product portfolio, is expected to be immediately earnings enhancing and highly cash generative with strong recurring revenues. The payment for COA comprised cash and 55 million of new bank facilities - a term loan of 25 million and revolving credit of 30 million - which are committed for three and a half years and provided by HSBC (LSE: HSBA) and Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS).

COA posted revenues of 59.8 million in the full year to 31 March 2009 - of which more than 50 percent contracted recurring - , while EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) amounted to 12.3 million. The business has more than 1,600 corporate clients including Barclays (LSE: BARC), RBS (LSE: RBS), Santander LSE: BNC, NYSE: STD, Euronext: SANT), British Airways (LSE: BAY), Virgin, Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI) and Specsavers.

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