The Service Employees’ International Union has issued a 44-page report that essentially asks buyout firms to share their prosperity with portfolio company workers. I wrote a bit about it yesterday, and had a few more thoughts once I woke up this morning. So here goes: *** Are you thinking something along the lines of: “Who cares […]
Updated after jump: The Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU) has just released a 44-page report that asks buyout firms to share their prosperity with the workers at their portfolio companies. I just got my copy and am about to hop on an SEIU media call, but here are its three basic points: 1. The buyout industry […]
Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners blinked yesterday, when they agreed to up their per share bid for Clear Channel Communications from $37.60 to $39. Early indications are that the increase still might not sway opposition shareholders like Fidelity Investments, but the move lends credence to an argument far larger than any one deal: […]
The first-ever Buyouts Awards dinner just concluded, and what follows is a list of the winners: Firm of the Year The Carlyle Group Deal of the Year Cerberus — GMAC Mega-Deal of the Year Cerberus — GMAC Large-Market Deal of the Year Bain/Carlyle/TH Lee — Dunkin’ Brands Middle-Market Deal of the Year Wellspring Capital — […]
Last week, I expressed astonishment that two Dow Chemical executives would solicit buyout offers without the board’s knowledge or authorization. These were rogue employees who hoped their brazenness might result in such a good offer that the board would forgive their misdeeds… Misguided for certain, and unusual within a “don’t rock the boat” company like Dow… Right? Well, […]
A winning private equity bid is typically the one with the most zeros after it, but every now and then specific deal terms also come into play. The only problem is that most target companies don’t really know if the specific terms are buyer-friendly, seller-friendly or straight down the middle. It’s old-fashioned ignorance, borne of […]
Dow Chemical Co. is downplaying buyout rumors, after a UK tabloid reported that KKR and several Middle Eastern investors are prepping a $50 billion bid. A company spokesman says that Dow has “no interest” in a leveraged buyout, because it believes it can provide the most shareholder value by remaining a public entity. Now there […]
Hey Canada: I’ll be on BNN’s SqueezePlay program this afternoon at 5:10 ET, for a conversation about the mega-LBO market. We’ll talk Dow Chemical, fund sizes and more…
Buyouts Magazine is reporting that Q1 2007 was the busiest quarter on record for leveraged buyouts, with 283 control-stage transactions at a disclosed value of $102.6 billion. The data includes only closed transactions that involve U.S. sponsors and/or U.S. targets. The same period last year saw 248 deals for a disclosed value of just $50.7 […]
Word just came that KKR has agreed to acquire credit card processing company First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) for approximately $29 billion. It would be the fifth-largest leveraged buyout in history, supplanting Harrah’s. See press release here: FirstData.pdf Under terms of the agreement, First Data shareholders would receive $34 per share, which is around a […]