Canadian oil producer Paramount Resources Ltd agreed to sell some of its Deep Basin oil and gas properties in Alberta to Seven Generations Energy Ltd for about $1.9 billion, Reuters reported. The divestiture is the latest example of struggling oil and gas producers selling off assets in a bid to survive the global crude price rout. Upon deal closure, Paramount will own a stake of about 10 percent in the Calgary natural gas developer, making it the second-largest shareholder after the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Canada's biggest pension funds are prepared to finance the construction of major new federal government infrastructure projects, according to senior fund sources, marking a shift from their traditional strategy of avoiding development risk, Reuters reported. Officials with the top funds, which manage $1.1 trillion in assets, are seeking to reduce that risk, telling the Canadian government they would like it to provide guarantees on future returns and assurances on costs.
British private equity firm Apax Partners LLP said it will sell Trader Corp, a Canadian provider of advertising for automotive dealers, to U.S. peer Thoma Bravo for about $1.57 billion, Reuters reported. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Trader Corp offers digital advertising tools to automotive dealers and also runs online car marketplaces, including autoTRADER.ca, which generate 13 million visits each month.
Brookfield Asset Management Inc reported a 12.13 percent stake in TerraForm Power Inc, one of the two units of bankrupt solar company SunEdison Inc, Reuters reported. The deal makes the Canadian asset manager the biggest shareholder in TerraForm after BlueMountain Capital Management LLC. David Tepper's hedge fund Appaloosa Management LP also has a stake in the company. SunEdison, once the fastest-growing U.S. renewable energy company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April.
TorQuest Partners has raised the $925 million hard-cap target set for its fourth private equity fund, earmarked for investments in mid-market companies in Canada and the United States. The Toronto-based firm announced that TorQuest Partners Fund IV closed 23 percent above its original target of $750 million. It is the largest fund raised by TorQuest since its founding in 2002.
Canadian hedge fund West Face Capital is pushing SNC-Lavalin Group Inc to sell its stake in Ontario’s 407 toll highway, a move that could fetch the engineering and construction company more than $5 billion, sources told Reuters. West Face is an SNC shareholder but has not disclosed the size of its holding. SNC owns about 17 per cent of Highway 407. Other 407 investors are Ferrovial SA, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Canadian private debt and equity investor Penfund has banked the $525 million target set for its fifth mid-market fund and is now raising additional capital for a final close, a person with knowledge of the matter told Buyouts. Penfund Capital Fund V is expected to wrap up appreciably above its target in July or August, the source said. At its current total, the fund is already the largest in Toronto-based Penfund’s 37-year history, surpassing by 14 percent the $460 million secured by its predecessor in March 2012.
Australian freight giant Asciano Ltd said it has resolved a legal dispute with a trucking subsidiary that had threatened to delay a A$9.1 billion (US$6.8 billion) buyout led by Canada's Brookfield Asset Management Inc, Reuters reported. Asciano said it agreed to give its half stake in Sydney trucking business Australian Container Freight Services Pty Ltd to the family which owned the other half. The settlement will be a welcome respite for Asciano and the global consortium of investors from Canada, Australia, China and the Middle East which has been trying to buy it for more than a year.
Canada's largest pension funds see opportunities to invest in U.K. real estate and infrastructure at discounted prices following Britain's decision to leave the European Union, fund executives told Reuters. The funds, which manage over $1 trillion of assets and are among the biggest investors in British real estate and infrastructure, anticipate valuations falling as a result of the country's decision to leave the bloc, presenting opportunities for investors willing to take a long-term view.
ARC Financial Corp has intensified its deal-making with new investments in a junior oil producer and a hydraulic-fracturing-treatments specialist. Longshore Resources, a Calgary company founded in late 2015 by senior energy executives, last week said it raised $150 million in equity financing from ARC. The announcement, which was not widely reported, included news of Longshore’s acquisition of certain producing assets in Alberta’s Peace River Arch region.