Wednesday, September 3, 2008

PRIVATE EQUITY


In finance, private equity is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange.
There is a wide array of types and styles of private equity and the term private equity has different connotations in different countries
Types of private equity
Private equity investments can be divided into the following categories:
Leveraged buyout, LBO or Buyout: refers to a strategy of making equity investments as part of a transaction in which a company, business unit or business assets is acquired from the current shareholders typically with the use of financial leverage. The companies involved in these transactions are typically more mature and generate operating cash flows.
Venture capital: a broad subcategory of private equity that refers to equity investments made, typically in less mature companies, for the launch, early development, or expansion of a business. Venture Capital is often sub-divided by the stage of development of the company ranging from early stage capital used for the launch of start-up companies to late stage and growth capital that is often used to fund expansion of existing business that are generating revenue but may not yet be profitable or generating cash flow to fund future growth.[2]
Growth capital: refers to equity investments, most often minority investments, in more mature companies that are looking for capital to expand or restructure operations, enter new markets or finance a major acquisition without a change of control of the business.

No comments: