The Sarasota, Fla.-based maker of imaging products and software, energy systems and controls, and industrial technology products, together with its subsidiaries, acquired five companies since January 2010, four of which were sponsor-backed. These included Northern Digital Inc., a designer of optical three-dimensional and electromagnetic tracking systems for health care and other sectors it bought from Audax Group; and its $520 million acquisition of iTradeNetwork Inc., a company that develops software that automates the supply chain for the retail and food service industries, from Accel-KKR and ABRY Partners LLC. Roper, with a market cap of around $7.5 billion, reported cash and cash equivalents of $261.45 million, and long-term debt of $1.16 billion, for the quarter ended March 31.

Since January 2010, the information technology behemoth, with a market cap of approximately $197.6 billion, and its subsidiaries have made approximately 17 investments, including four acquisitions of sponsor-backed companies. These include the $450 million acquisition of Unica Corp., a provider of marketing services to companies in financial services, insurance and other sectors, from JMI Equity. The company reported $12.76 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and $21.7 billion in long-term debt, for the quarter ended March 31.

General Electric—always a good bellwether for the deal environment—and its subsidiaries have made several dozen investments, including acquisitions of four sponsor-backed companies during the time period studied. The $195 billion conglomerate’s deals included the $3 billion buyout of Dresser Inc., the maker of valves, meters, pumps and other industrial machinery, from Riverstone Holdings, First Reserve Corp., and The Carlyle Group. Another was its $520 million acquisition of Lineage Power Holdings Inc., a maker of electrical components for the telecommunications power market, from The Gores Group LLC, which bought the company in 2007 for $100 million. General Electric reported approximately $82.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and $287.6 billion in long-term borrowings, for the quarter ended March 31.

Ametek Inc., a maker and seller of electronic instruments with a $6.7 billion market cap, made eight acquisitions, four of which were sponsor-backed companies since the beginning of 2010. Its largest was its $270 million acquisition of Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions Inc., a maker of screws, nuts and other industrial components for the aerospace and defense industry, from Harbour Group. The company reported $155 million in cash and cash equivalents for the quarter ended March 31. However, the company also reported more than $1 billion in long-term debt that could inhibit its ability to make investments.

3M Co., the industrial conglomerate with a $65.3 billion market cap, and its subsidiaries made or agreed to make around 26 investments in other companies since the beginning of 2010, including the acquisition of four sponsor-backed companies. Most notably, the company bought Arizant Inc., a maker of temperature management systems for the health care industry. The price was approximately $810 million, the seller Court Square Capital Partners. Other deals included its $230 million acquisition of Attendi Ltd., an Israeli company that develops remote electronic monitoring technologies, from Francisco Partners Management, Sequoia Capital and other investors. 3M reported more than $2.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and long-term debt of $4.5 billion, for the quarter ended March 31.