Private Equity

Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Private Equity'

Equity capital that is not quoted on a public exchange. Private equity consists of investors and funds that make investments directly into private companies or conduct buyouts of public companies that result in a delisting of public equity. Capital for private equity is raised from retail and institutional investors, and can be used to fund new technologies, expand working capital within an owned company, make acquisitions, or to strengthen a balance sheet.  

The majority of private equity consists of institutional investors and accredited investors who can commit large sums of money for long periods of time. Private equity investments often demand long holding periods to allow for a turnaround of a distressed company or a liquidity event such as an IPO or sale to a public company.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Private Equity'

The size of the private equity market has grown steadily since the 1970s. Private equity firms will sometimes pool funds together to take very large public companies private. Many private equity firms conduct what are known as leveraged buyouts (LBOs), where large amounts of debt are issued to fund a large purchase. Private equity firms will then try to improve the financial results and prospects of the company in the hope of reselling the company to another firm or cashing out via an IPO.

Related Definitions

  • Repackaging

    When a private equity firm takes a public firm private by purchasing all of its common stock with leverage loans. The private equity firm then makes changes to the company, in effect ...
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  • Stockholders' Equity

    The portion of the balance sheet that represents the capital received from investors in exchange for stock (paid-in capital), donated capital and retained earnings. Stockholders' equity ...
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  • Private Purchase

    A situation in which an investor (either individual or institutional) purchases all of the shares (or a fraction thereof) in a privately-held firm. Private purchases do not involve the ...
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    • Buy, Strip And Flip

      When a private equity firm buys out a target firm (usually with a leveraged buyout) and then sells the target firm in an IPO within a relatively short period of time. Along the way, the ...
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    • Club Deal

      A private equity buyout or the assumption of a controlling interest in a company that involves several different private equity firms. This group of firms pools its assets together and ...
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    • Vintage Year

      The year in which the first influx of investment capital is delivered to a project or company. This marks when capital is contributed by venture capital, private equity fund or a ...
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    • Distribution Waterfall

      The order in which a private equity fund makes distributions. A distribution waterfall is a hierarchy delineating the order in which funds will be distributed, and may ensure that ...
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    • Realization Multiple

      A private equity measurement that values the return paid to an investor. The multiple is named after the amount of return that is realized. The realization multiple is found by dividing ...
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    • Leveraged Buyout - LBO

      The acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (bonds or loans) to meet the cost of acquisition. Often, the assets of the company being acquired are used ...
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    • Carl Icahn

      An American billionaire investor with reputation for being a shrewd activist investor. Icahn is known for buying large amounts of stock in a specific company, and then pressuring the ...
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