TA Associates today announced that it has acquired a minority stake in K2 Advisors, a $5.5 billion hedge fund-of-funds manager. So we’ve got 5 Questions for Roger Kafker, a TA managing director who will sit on the K2 board: 1. Could this deal be a precursor to TA Associates launching its own hedge fund products? Kafker: […]
Lancaster Colony Corp. (Nasdaq: LANC) has sold substantially all of the operating assets of its automotive accessory operations located in Wapakoneta, Ohio to KN Rubber LLC, a portfolio company of private equity firm Kinderhook Industries LLC. No financial terms were disclosed. Products manufactured at this location include pickup truck bed mats as well as truck […]
Update: Shareholder lawsuits are commonplace in public-to-private buyouts, as someone is always convinced that they’re getting short shrift. But I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a buyout firm sue its acquisition target for choosing the other guy. But that’s what happened yesterday in Texas, when Apollo Management sued EGL Inc. (Nasdaq: EAGL) and its chairman […]
TricorBraun, a St. Louis
This week is shaping up as a busy one for venture-backed IPOs, with three offerings set to get out the door before the end of the quarter. Aruba Networks, which develops switching technology for large-scale Wi-Fi networks, is looking to raise up to $72 million in an offering on Nasdaq. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company, founded […]
Local Insight Media LP, a portfolio company of Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, has acquired Cincinnati-area directories publisher CBD Media, which is backed by Spectrum Equity Partners and Wachovia Capital Partners. Leverage was provided by Wachovia Securities, Lehman Brothers Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and GE Capital. No specific financial terms were disclosed, except that […]
The Blackstone Group has filed for a $4 billion IPO. It did not disclose the number of shares or a propsective price range. Download the filing here: Blackstone.pdf I’m still skimming through the document, but one thing jumped out first: The complete absence of Goldman Sachs. The original CNBC report last week said that Blackstone […]
PwC today released a study (download here) that found a majority of private equity pros expect the percentage of portfolio company dividend recaps to grow in the coming year, with most of that activity occurring in the middle-markets. Here’s one highlight (or lowlight, depending on your perspective): “94% of respondents consider dividend recaps an important part […]
A kind of disturbing story today related to the pending $19 billion buyout of Clear Channel by Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners. As we’ve previously discussed, the deal is being opposed by a number of major CC shareholders, who claim that the $37.60 per share pricetag is too low. One such shareholder is […]
Integra Telecom Inc., a Portland, Ore.