With High Valuations Persisting, PE Buyers Still Cautious PE dealmakers are still grappling with increased regulatory scrutiny and stubbornly persistent high valuations. The chance to ameliorate price pressures still remains, with lending markets left wide open by ongoing competition… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
LP Direct PE Investment Signaling Shift in Industry Limited partners have been steadily dialing up direct investing over the past few years. Prominent LPs such as CPPIB and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan are responsible for a big portion of that increase, but the uptick in activity is unmistakable…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log
Opportunity Ahead for PE? The finance community has been hit hard the past few weeks. Even long-term asset classes like venture are keeping tabs on short-term fluctuations in the market. Private equity doesn’t seem as concerned, and shouldn’t be. The biblical seller’s market that began in… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
It’s become common knowledge (and maybe conventional wisdom) that PE buyers are much more disciplined today than they were in 2007. One useful comparison is the amount of PE capital spent versus the amount raised. Going back to 2011, note the correlation between the two totals and how little they deviate from one another. This suggests…
Do holding periods go down from here? For the first time since the crisis, the median holding period for private equity is heading downward. For all exits, the H1 median came in at 5.25 years, a sharp fall from the 6.12 median at year end. Companies that were… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log
Another big year in the works The U.S. middle market is heading toward another big year. Through H1, 895 deals worth a combined $159 billion have closed, not far off the pace of last year’s records. This despite another jump in median purchase price multiples, which hit 10.5x through the end of June. Valuations have risen… Subscribe
Take-privates making a comeback? One of the big differences between today’s M&A boom and 2007’s comes down to which buyers were involved. Almost a decade ago, PE firms were the muscle behind M&A. Mega-buyouts in the $10B+ category were common, inflating overall deal activity to record levels. Today’s market is… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a
Secondary buyouts are down by value but consistent by volume. With news of First Data going public, it’s worth remembering how few 2006-2008 PE investments ended up transferring to other PE sponsors, at least $10B+ companies. Realistically, those buyouts needed to be exited via IPOs or, in some cases, through… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a
Investment-to-Exit Ratio at Record Low While it’s true that PE firms remain hopeful buyers, and the number of deals has risen over the years, they’re much more active on the sell side today. Through June, the U.S. investment-to-exit ratio is at a record low 1.7x in 2015…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in
PE’s New Sweet Spot: $1bn-$5bn Private equity seems to have a new sweet spot for fund sizes. 53% of total capital raised in the U.S. went to the $1-$5bn range, the third time since the crisis that it’s closed a majority of LP dollars. The big exception is 2013,… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?