Over the last two decades, the number (enterprise value) of leveraged buyout transactions involving privately held targets totals more than 10,000 (over $850 billion), accounting for 46% (21%) of the worldwide leveraged buyout market. Yet the vast majority of academic studies focus on the...

We investigate the valuation effects of industry rivals on German firms targeted by hedge funds and private equity investors. We argue that both types of investors differ from other block holders due to their strong motivation and ability to actively engage and monitor. We find that the...

The paper analyses the role of private equity in restructuring the UK corporate economy. It develops a theoretical synthesis to show that the evolution of the PE industry and firms in which it invested were governed by the relations of corporate governance between investor and investee...

The ultimate performance of private equity funds is only known once all investments have been sold, and the cash returned to investors. This typically takes over a decade. In the meantime, the reported performance depends on the valuation of the remaining portfolio companies. Private equity...

In this paper we address the magnitude of debt-related tax shields employing a proprietary data set of 56 German leveraged buyouts (LBOs) completed between 1997 and 2011. In particular we examine the relevance and performance contribution of tax shields under different financing policies, and...

This paper investigates the effects of going public on innovation by comparing the innovative activity of firms that went public with firms that withdrew their IPO filing and remained private. NASDAQ fluctuations during the book-building phase are used as an instrument for IPO completion. Using...

We study how access to private equity financing affects real firm activities using a broad panel of publicly traded U.S. firms that raise external equity through private placements (PIPEs) between 1995 and 2008. The public firms relying on PIPEs are generally small, high-tech firms that cannot...

We investigate the valuation effects of German firms targeted by hedge funds and by private equity investors. We argue that both types of investors differ from other blockholders by their strong motivation and ability to actively engage and reduce agency costs. Consequently, we find positive...

Private Equity Demystified is published as part of the ICAEW Corporate Finance Faculty's thought leadership programme, Financing Change and includes a review of major academic studies on private equity globally. This not only outlines what is known, but highlights what isn't yet known about the...

The paper analyses the impact of private equity (PE) backed leveraged buyouts (LBOs) on innovative output (patenting). Using a sample of 407 UK deals we find that LBOs have a positive causal effect on patent stock and quality-adjusted patent stock. Our results imply a 6% increase in...