What does a PE firm do in a Management Buyout?

I know they provide funding for managements equity stake in the company but does the PE firm raise debt and then use the managements equity stake to buyout the company? Does the PE firm provide equity financing? How are they compensated? Who decides exit strategy since management has control and not the PE firm?

 

I think you're misunderstanding a bit. An MBO is really just an LBO where management is structured to stay on and they contribute a lot of their personal wealth into the deal (but nowhere near what the PE firm is contributing in most cases). So PE still has control because they're contributing the most (or even if that's not true, they'll still negotiate to have control rights via the shareholder agreement).

 
Best Response
CHItizen:

I think you're misunderstanding a bit. An MBO is really just an LBO where management is structured to stay on and they contribute a lot of their personal wealth into the deal (but nowhere near what the PE firm is contributing in most cases). So PE still has control because they're contributing the most (or even if that's not true, they'll still negotiate to have control rights via the shareholder agreement).

This. An MBO, unless the management has tons of money or holds a lot of stock, is basically an LBO where management kicks in dollars and stays on board but the PE fund funds most of the equity and retains control (for the most part, obviously there are exceptions to everything). And they will typically leverage the deal with external debt.

A recap is (usually) totally different unless the owners of the business are selling off a majority of equity to an equity investor. You can do a leveraged recap and take cash off the table and into the owner's pocket but it's tough to take a significant % if you're trying for all debt if it's a private company. Lenders typically don't want an non-sponsor owner(s) to take a significant amount of money off the table if it's funded only through debt and will more likely want equity invested alongside.

 

Rerum dolor architecto ducimus distinctio id ut. Tempora porro minima assumenda error. Eos tenetur nihil enim reiciendis ex maiores inventore corporis. Quaerat nesciunt temporibus minus sed quod.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (91) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (206) $266
  • 1st Year Associate (387) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (314) $59
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”