A corporate action in which a company purchases a controlling interest in another company in order to expand its product and service offerings. One way to determine if a takeover is a diversification acquisition is if the two companies have different Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, meaning that they conduct different types of business activities.
A takeover between two companies that share the same SIC code is considered a "related" acquisition.
Conglomerates are often involved in diversified acquisitions either to minimize the potential risks of one business component/industry not performing well in the future or to maximize on the synergies and revenue streams of a diverse operations.