PE-Exit Driven IB Rankings 2025

This is consensus amongst private equity associates this year. Yes, this is holistic across groups and does not account for key differences in M&A vs RX for example, and this is a weighted average of all office locations in the United States as well. This is specifically for UMM/MF buy-out groups, accounted for on a per-capita analyst size class basis. Hope this helps inform college recruiting processes.

Nobody gives a flying f**k. Thanks.

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I will assume that you are actually a PE associate who just happened to randomly decide to create a WSO account during December to make an IB ranking. A holistic location&group agnostic ranking does not make sense nor is it helpful. Different offices have their own recruiting timelines and processes, and obviously different groups have their own timelines and processes. Headhunters absolutely view some groups/offices more favourably than others. It simply does not make sense to have a holistic ranking when both the processes to enter and the outcomes of exit are not holistic. 

 
Controversial

This is bad. You miss the concept of average exit - Bloated classes with 60+ analyst will have pretty mediocre exits on average.

- LAZ, on average, has better exits than JPM or MS. Again, due to the huge analyst classes at these BB, the average PE exit can be pretty diluted (if they get to exit in the first place)

- PJT should be ahead of GS, purely based on the insane RSSG exits. No need to elaborate, probably no.1 shop on the street for MF exits (yes, higher than GS TMT). Strategic advisory is also doing well placement wise

- GHL should be ranked way higher, ahead of the firms until LAZ. While it's not the same shop as it used to be, exits on average are great with plenty of UMMs and occasional MFs

- GUGG is too high. It's an up-and-coming shop, but their exits have just not been astonishing over the last couple of years. Same goes to JEFF 

 

I would say that your average exit from GHL is a little better than say Citi or BofA 

 

Let's assume this is the consensus among all the PE associates at a certain firm this year. How does that make anything more relevant? Headhunters select who gets interviews. Ik others at DB that ended up at UMM seats and certainly all the stats show that firms like RBC/HW for example exit worse than DB does. I can accept ranking us the same as Jefferies given that they have more groups that get solid MM/UMM exits than we do but our best groups (IMO and from what I've seen from people at both firms) do better, but I think we at the very least clear RBC in terms of exits by a decent bit. Our best groups (REGL/LevFin/Sponsors) exit better than their best and they don't have enough groups with deal flow to relatively even it out.

 

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