Fifteen-year-old HealthGrades, a health care ratings company based in Denver, has announced two related senior management changes: founder and CEO Kerry Hicks will become chair of HealthGrades’s board of directors; meanwhile, current chair Roger Holstein will become CEO, assuming responsibility for the company’s day-to-day operations. HealthGrades was acquired by an affiliate of the private equity [...]

(Reuters) – Private equity firms, facing shrinking asset values and tough financing conditions, are trimming staff in mature markets, but are also looking to hire in growth areas so that they deliver the returns investors seek. Shrinking fund sizes, crisis in the euro zone and hopes for emerging markets growth are all redrawing the global [...]

Earlier this week, the sale of Del Monte hit a bump when a Delaware judge postponed the sale for 20 days, or until March 7.

Why the delay? Vice-Chancellor J. Travis Laster of Delaware Chancery Court ruled that Del Monte board’s board failed on two counts: The board let the adviser on the deal, Barclays Capital, provide financing to the would-be PE buyers, KKR, Vestar Capital and Centerview Partners; and it let allowed KKR to team up with Vestar, which previously made the high bid in an earlier phase of the process, according to Reuters.

The judge was particularly critical of Barclays, writing in his ruling: “Barclays secretly and selfishly manipulated the sale process to engineer a transaction that would permit Barclays to obtain lucrative buy-side financing fees.”

Barclays issued a statement saying that it “strongly disagrees with characterizations that are based on an incomplete factual record.”

My take on various PE and VC-related events and news last week. On Bubbles: Are seed stage valuations for hot Internet startups getting out of hand? That’s been the subject of raging debate across the venture pundit-sphere in recent weeks. Connie Loizos and Mark Boslet added their takes on the topic this week, looking at [...]

Vestar Capital Partners V LP’s affiliates (Mountain Acquisition Corp. and Mountain Merger Sub Corp.) and Health Grades Inc. agreed to extend the offer period for proposed $8.20 a share tender offer for all Health Grades’ shares. The offer’s new deadline is October 7 at 9 AM, New York City time.

Vestar Capital Partners V LP’s affiliates (Mountain Acquisition Corp. and Mountain Merger Sub Corp.) and Health Grades Inc. agreed to extend the offer period for proposed $8.20 a share tender offer for all Health Grades’ shares. The offer’s new deadline is September 16 at 9 AM, New York City time.

Vestar Capital Partners has agreed to acquire Health Grades Inc. (Nasdaq: HGRD), a a Golden, Colo.-based healthcare ratings organization. The $8.20 per share price represents a 29% premium to yesterday’s closing price, and values Health Grades at approximately $294 million.

Vestar Capital Partners has promoted Daniel Boege to executive director, and promoted both Andrew Cavanna and Brian O’Connor to principal.

Vestar Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in New York, has promoted three of its principals to managing director: Chris A. Durbin, Brian J. Modesitt and Kristian M. Whalen. Vestar Capital Partners, a leading international private equity firm, today announced three promotions. Chris A. Durbin, Brian J. Modesitt and Kristian M. Whalen have each [...]

Vestar Capital Partners is planning to target $4 billion for its sixth buyout fund, according to LBO Wire. Its $3.7 billion fifth fund is 70% invested. www.vestarcapital.com