Exits

Amadeus, a travel reservations giant, is asking lenders to amend its €5.21 billion loan as it prepares for an IPO, Reuters reported. The Madrid-headquartered company—which hired Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley in October for the share offer—is asking lenders to modify the “change of control” agreements on its debt and for greater flexibility as it prepares to go public. Amadeus is controlled by private equity firms BC Partners and Cinven.

Artromick Mobile Solutions Group, a maker of computing carts for the health care industry, has been sold to Capsa Solutions. The company was backed by Sterling Partners, a Chicago and Baltimore-based private equity firm.

The Carlyle Group sold an office and commercial building in Hamburg to Deka Immobilien, Germany’s largest manager of property funds, for an undisclosed sum.

The Carlyle Group plans to recapitalize its existing portfolio company Booz Allen Hamilton, a government consulting company, and use the proceeds to pay itself a $550 million dividend, according to Bloomberg.

China Pacific Insurance Ltd., China’s third-largest life insurer, has received regulatory approval for a $3.4 billion IPO on the Hong Kong exchange. China Pacific is partially owned by The Carlyle Group.

Ellora Energy Inc., a Boulder, Colo.-based oil and gas company backed by Yorktown Energy Partners, has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to help it explore strategic alternatives. Earlier this year the company re-filed its IPO plans after withdrawing registration without giving a reason. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq, with Merrill Lynch and Raymond James serving as co-lead underwriters.

Gartmore, a U.K.-based fund manager owned by Hellman & Friedman, reportedly is planning to raise around £400 million in a London listing early next month. The deal would value Gartmore at around £800 million were it to price in the middle of its expected offering range.

Ghana’s state oil company reportedly has reached a “critical stage” in talks to acquire a stake in the giant Jubilee oilfield from Kosmos Energy, a portfolio company of The Blackstone Group and Warburg Pincus.

Hellman & Friedman plans to recapitalize existing portfolio company Goodman Global, allowing the firm to pay itself a $115 million dividend, Bloomberg reported. Goodman is a maker of air conditioners.

KAR Auction Services Inc., a Carmel, Ind.-based provider of vehicle auction services in North America, has set its IPO terms to 23 million shares being offered at between $15 and $17 per share. It would have an initial market cap of approximately $2.2 billion, were it to price at the high end of its range. KAR plans to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol KAR, with Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse serving as co-lead underwriters. Shareholders include Kelso & Co. (42 percent pre-IPO stake), Parthenon Capital, Goldman Sachs and ValueAct Capital.

Language Line Services, a Monterey, Calif.-based provider of on-demand language interpretation services, has filed for a $400 million IPO. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq, with Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and BoA Merrill Lynch serving as co-lead underwriters. The company reports $227 million in revenue for the nine months ending Sept. 30, and a $44 million net loss. Language Line is controlled by private equity firm ABRY Partners.

Lenovo Group is acquiring the entire interest of mobile handset business Lenovo Mobile Communication Technology Ltd. from a group of investors led by Hony Capital. The deal is valued at approximately $200 million in cash and Lenovo shares. Lenovo divested Lenovo Mobile in March 2008, as part of a plan to refocus on the company’s core PC business.

LGV Capital has retained KPMG to run a sale process for portfolio company LGC, a U.K.-based provider of forensics and other scientific testing. The deal is expected to be worth approximately £200 million.

Medica, a French home care group controlled by AXA Private Equity and BC Partners, is planning to raise up to €250 million via an IPO in Paris. Approximately 90 percent of the proceeds would be used to pay down debt. Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas and RBS are serving as underwriters.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the debt-laden film studio that is considering a sale of itself, has sent out nondisclosure agreements to about 20 interested parties, including Time Warner, News Corp., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and Sony Corp. The studio is currently owned by Providence Equity Partners, TPG, Sony and Comcast.

New Look, a U.K. fashion retailer, has picked JP Morgan Cazenove, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to handle a possible IPO next year. The company is backed by Permira and Apax Partners and could IPO with a valuation of £1.7 billion ($2.8 billion).

Quadrangle Group has sold its remaining 2.33 million shares in Cinemark Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CNK), a Plano, Texas-based movie theater chain, via a secondary public offering. The shares were sold at $12.85 each, or approximately $30 million. Barclays Capital served as underwriter. Cinemark went public in 2007 at $19 per share.

RedPrairie Holding Inc., a Waukesha, Wisc.-based provider of inventory, warehouse, transportation and workforce management systems, has filed for a $172.5 million IPO. Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse are serving as co-lead underwriters. The company generated approximately $194 million in revenue for the first nine months of 2009, and net income of $12.45 million. Francisco Partners, which acquired RedPrairie in 2005, holds an 89.7 percent equity position in the company.

RoundTable Healthcare Partners has agreed to sell portfolio company Ascent Healthcare, a medical device company, to Stryker Corp. for $525 million in cash. Prior to closing, Ascent will distribute $35 million of cash from its balance sheet to its shareholders. The sale is expected to generate total proceeds of approximately $560 million.

Sensata Technologies Inc., an Attleboro, Mass.-based maker of sensors and controls, has filed for a $500 million IPO. It plans to trade on the NYSE, with Morgan Stanley, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs serving as co-lead underwriters. Sensata reported approximately $797 million in revenue for the nine months ended Sept. 30, and a $41 million net loss. Sensata is majority-owned by Bain Capital, which acquired the company in 2006 from Texas Instruments.

Softbank Corp. reportedly has offered to buy Willcom Inc., a struggling telecom operator owned by The Carlyle Group.

TA Associates has completed its sale of Houston, Texas-based Triumph HealthCare, an operator of long-term acute care hospitals, for around $570 million to RehabCare Group Inc. (NYSE: RHB). TA bought Triumph in 2004 in a leveraged deal that included $34.5 million in equity. It had already returned its investment several times over through a pair of dividend recaps.

Tata Motors reportedly is interested in acquiring Actis’ 7.74 percent stake in truck and bus maker Swaraj Mazda.

TDC, a Danish telecom operator, said that its private equity owners have begun a review of “strategic alternatives.” The company was acquired in 2006 for nearly $13.5 billion, by Apax Partners, Blackstone Group, KKR, Permira and Providence Equity Partners. The firms currently own around 88 percent of TDC’s stock, and Reuters reported earlier this month that they were considering a partial sale.

Unitas Capital has received nine bids for South Korean retailer Buy The Way, from both strategic and private equity suitors. Most of the offers came in at more than $260 million.