Recruiter – Corporate Finance - M&A

111, Inc. announces appointment of independent financial advisor and legal counsel to the Special Committee. Oct 26, 2026, 04:00 ET SHANGHAI, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - 111, Inc. ( "111" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: YI), a leading tech-enabled healthcare platform company in China, announced today that the special committee (the "Special Committee"), comprising three independent directors, Mr. Jian Sun, who is the chairman of the Special Committee, Mr. Nee Chuan Teo and Mr. Jun Luo, established by the Company's Board of Directors ("the Board"), has retained Houlihan Lokey China Limited as its independent financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis as its U.S. legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the previously announced preliminary, non-binding proposal letter dated September 16, 2026 (the "Proposal") as well as other potential strategic alternatives that the Company may pursue. The Board cautions the Company's shareholders and others considering trading the Company's securities that no decisions have been made with respect to the Proposal or any alternative strategic option that the Company may pursue. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be received, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the transaction contemplated by the Proposal or that any other comparable transaction will be approved or consummated. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to any transaction, except as required under applicable law. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 111's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 111 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties as to the Company's ability comply with extensive and evolving regulatory requirements, its ability to compete effectively in the evolving PRC general health and wellness market, its ability to manage the growth of its business and expansion plans, its ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future, its ability to control the risks associated with its pharmaceutical retail and wholesale businesses, and the Company's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain listing of its ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and 111 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. 111, Inc. (NASDAQ: YI) ("111" or the "Company") is a leading technology-enabled healthcare platform transforming China's healthcare value chain through digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI). By connecting consumers, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare participants, 111 aims to make pharmaceutical products and healthcare services more accessible, efficient and affordable, while helping industry participants operate more intelligently. Through its integrated ecosystem, 1 Pharmacy, the Company's online retail pharmacy, provides consumers with convenient access to a broad range of pharmaceutical products and healthcare services. On the B2B side, 1 Medicine offers pharmacies a one-stop digital sourcing platform, helping them improve purchasing efficiency, product availability and inventory management. Leveraging its pharmacy network, proprietary industry data and digital infrastructure, 111 is increasingly deploying AI-powered solutions and Agents to help pharmacies manage daily operations, including sales analysis, inventory optimization, replenishment, pricing and promotions. For pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, 111 provides an omni-channel commercialization platform combining digital marketing, patient education, data analytics, pricing and market monitoring. 111 is transforming from a digital company into an AI-powered healthcare company. Using its industry data and digital capabilities, the Company deploys AI Agents that move beyond information and analysis to execute workflows for pharmacies and other industry participants. With AI models, proprietary healthcare data and interconnected business systems, 111 aims to build an intelligent operating layer for healthcare and strengthen its role as a tech platform linking China's healthcare value chain upstream and downstream. 111, Inc. Investor Relations Email: [email protected] 111, Inc. Media Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: +86-021-2053 6666 (China) SOURCE 111, Inc.

Perella Weinberg lost a fifth of its value in one day. Is $13 a gift or a warning? The stock market delivered a blunt verdict on October 14. Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP) closed down 19.1% at $13.02. Piper Sandler (PIPR) edged up 0.96% to $64.48. One number tells you everything about how investors read the abandoned deal. Why this stock now. Piper Sandler and Perella Weinberg abandoned talks for an all-stock merger after failing to agree on financial and personnel terms, as Reuters reported. The Wall Street Journal had reported on September 29, 2026 that Piper Sandler was in talks to buy Perella Weinberg, which it said had a market value of about $1.4 billion at the time. The question worth asking today: did the selloff create an opportunity, or is the market correctly reassessing a firm whose value walks out the door in a briefcase every evening? The business. Perella Weinberg operates as an advisory firm providing strategic and financial advisory services to large public multinationals, mid-sized public and private companies, individual entrepreneurs, private and institutional investors, creditor committees, and government institutions. It has no trading desk, no lending balance sheet, no asset management flywheel. Substantially all of its revenue is derived from advisory fees, including fees that are largely contingent upon the completion of transactions. That model produces enormous operating leverage when deals close, and brutal revenue volatility when they do not. Why Wall Street is paying attention. The merger collapse is not the only reason to look at PWP right now. The boutique M&A sector is genuinely recovering. Houlihan Lokey generated quarterly revenue of $717 million in its third fiscal quarter of 2026, an 18% increase year over year, and Moelis reported full-year 2025 revenue of $1.536 billion, up 28% from 2024. PWP has not kept pace. Perella Weinberg's full-year 2025 revenues came in at $750.9 million, a decrease of 14% compared to a record $878.0 million in 2024, with the decline driven primarily by fewer and smaller M&A transactions. The client count fell too: the firm served 187 advisory clients in 2025, down from 221 in 2024. Peers caught the deal wave. PWP largely missed it. What's driving the potential opportunity. At $13, the stock trades near its 52-week low and well below the analyst consensus. The average 12-month analyst price target sits around $21.6. That gap is significant, even after discounting for how widely analysts misjudged PWP through 2025. The balance sheet is a genuine asset. The firm ended 2025 with about $257 million in cash and short-term investments and no long-term debt. Management described 2025 as a year of strategic talent investment, and added 12 new partners while acquiring Devon Park Advisors in 2025 to establish a private funds advisory platform that includes GP-led secondaries capabilities. If M&A volume continues to recover through 2026 and into 2027, a larger, better-staffed PWP should generate more revenue per deal cycle than the version that underperformed in 2025. What could go wrong. The failed merger crystallized a structural concern that predates October 14. Pure advisory boutiques are only as durable as the partners who generate the mandates. PWP acknowledges in its own filings that it may lose clients as a result of changes in a client's senior management, competition from other advisors, and other causes. Firms like Houlihan Lokey and Moelis have spent a decade building institutional brand recognition that reduces dependence on any single banker. PWP, with about 700 employees and 75 advisory partners globally, remains a firm where personnel terms can kill a $6 billion merger. PWP's dividend payout ratio stands at over 107%, raising questions about sustainability if revenue disappoints again. Keefe Bruyette lowered its price target on PWP to $19 from $21 on October 8, 2026, before the deal news hit. The bottom line. PWP at $13 is not a straightforward buy. It is a high-conviction bet that the broader M&A recovery finally reaches a firm that has lagged its peers, staffed up for a better environment, and now trades near a 52-week low after a deal collapse that revealed as much about Piper Sandler's need for scale as it did about PWP's vulnerabilities. The risk is real: a fee-only model with a stretched dividend and a partner-dependent client base demands that the deal cycle cooperates. If it does, the spread between $13 and a roughly $21.6 consensus target is worth the discomfort. If it does not, the 52-week low of $12.52 is closer than it looks.