U.S. buyout firm Hellman & Friedman LLC is exploring the sale of a stake in HUB International Ltd in a deal that could value one of the largest North American insurance brokerages at between US$6 billion and US$7 billion, sources told Reuters. Hellman & Friedman, which acquired Hub in 2013, has hired an investment bank to explore the stake sale, the sources said. Several private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds are considering an investment. Chicago-based HUB provides insurance products through more than 400 brokerages across Canada and the United States. It was founded in 1998 with the merger of 11 privately held Canadian brokerages.
Onex Corp held an initial close on fundraising for its fifth flagship private equity fund, securing 80 percent of the US$6.5 billion target. In its report of second-quarter 2017 results, Onex said it raised US$5.2 billion for Onex Partners V in July. Included in the amount is US$3.1 billion of third-party capital. Additionally, Onex, a listed firm, committed US$2 billion, while management made a minimum 2 percent commitment. The close positions the fund to become the biggest in the Toronto investor’s 33-year history.
The United States is lagging behind Canada in the race to attract capital for infrastructure projects despite launching a charm offensive to global investors and reaching out to officials north-of-the-border for advice, Reuters reported, quoting a top Canadian investor. Bjarne Graven Larsen, chief investment officer at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, said Canada has an advantage in already being home to a number of the world's biggest infrastructure investors and having an established track record in utilizing public and private funding to build infrastructure. Canada is setting up an infrastructure bank to facilitate private investment in projects such as new roads, bridges and tunnels. It plans to attract $4 to $5 for every $1 of public funding for projects.
Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd, a Canadian supplier of injection molding equipment to the global plastics industry, has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to explore a sale that it hopes could value it at close to US$4 billion, including debt, sources told Reuters. U.S. buyout firm Berkshire Partners LLC and the private equity arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) have asked Goldman Sachs to run the auction for the company. Based in Bolton, Ontario, Husky makes equipment that is used to produce goods for the beverage packaging, closures, thinwall packaging, medical, and consumer electronics markets. Berkshire and OMERS acquired Husky for US$2.1 billion in 2011 from Canadian buyout firm Onex Corp.
A consortium including Macquarie Group's infrastructure unit and a Canadian pension fund will pay A$1.605 billion (US$1.27 billion) to run the state of South Australia's land registry and management services, Reuters reported. Land Services SA, a joint venture between Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) will manage the service for the next 40 years. It will take responsibility for land registry and property valuation services in the state, and will also have exclusive rights to commercialize related data. As part of the deal, Land Services will establish an innovation hub in Adelaide, invest in information technology, communications equipment and software, and work with local digital startups.
CCMP Capital Advisors earned 3x its investment in Jamieson Wellness following the vitamin maker’s recent initial public offering, two sources with knowledge of the matter told PE Hub Canada. Jamieson wrapped up its IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange last month, raising more than $345 million, including the greenshoe option. Of these proceeds, about $100 million went to CCMP and other selling shareholders. Another part of CCMP’s realization came from a reorganization of the company’s capital prior to the IPO’s close. In the prospectus, Jamieson said it would use the bulk of its $245 million in treasury proceeds to make debt, dividend and other payments to CCMP linked to the capital change.
Cenovus Energy Inc has received separate bids from Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, Canadian private equity firm ARC Financial Corp and others for a heavy oil project in Pelican Lake, Alberta, according to people familiar with the matter who told Reuters the project was valued at as much as $1 billion. Calgary-based Cenovus is also in advanced talks to sell another oil project in Suffield, Alberta, which is likely to fetch between $500 million and $600 million. Cenovus has also received strong inbound interest from several energy companies for buying all or parts of separate midstream assets in the Deep Basin. But there was no formal sale process underway for Deep Basin, a region that straddles Alberta and British Columbia.
Foreign buyout firms chasing Canadian assets helped push private equity activity to a record high in the first half of 2017, and lawyers and fund managers say the trend is likely to continue through the rest of the year, Reuters reported. Deal values jumped 55 per cent in the first half from a year ago to $14.6-billion, an all-time high, according to data released by Thomson Reuters. About 38 percent of the buyout deals targeting Canadian companies had a foreign lead investor. Meanwhile, venture capital investment in Canadian technology companies hit a 16-year high in the first half, rising 18 per cent to $2.1-billion. It was the best first half since 2001.
Canada’s top 10 first-half private equity deals had disclosed values of more than $13.4 billion, up 89 percent from the $7.1 billion invested in the top 10 deals at the same time in 2016. The number is based on PE Hub Canada’s list of the largest deals announced in January through June, supplemented by preliminary Thomson Reuters data. It suggests the domestic market may be poised in 2017 to end a three-year decline in investment activity. H1 2017’s top deals are led by Vista Equity Partners’ $4.8 billion acquisition of DH Corp, the largest Canadian PE deal in three years.
German sportswear group Adidas AG has agreed to sell its CCM ice hockey brand to Canadian private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners for US$110 million ($138 million) as it focuses more strongly on its core Adidas and Reebok brands, Reuters reported. Adidas has shaken up its business in the United States and shed non-core businesses to regain ground lost to Nike Inc, outpacing its rival's sales growth in key markets this year. Birch Hill will pay most of the purchase price for CCM in cash and the rest in the form of a secured note, Adidas said. Based in Montréal, CCM is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of ice hockey equipment and related apparel. It was acquired by Reebok in 2004.