The thesis has the object of introducing the reader to the market of firms through a synthesis of the main literature and a statistical analysis on the factors which influence the market premium in a M&A operation. The literature on this subject is very large and includes many factors in the ones affecting the takeover premium. The factors listed range from the type of operations to the relative size of the actors and many others. In the thesis many of these factors will be considered and the degree with which they influence the takeover premium will be evaluated. Moreover, the effects of Covid 19 pandemic are analyzed to understand whether it has a significant influence on the M&A premium.