PE Recap vs M&A transaction

I just had an interview for an IBD internship this morning.

The interviewer mentioned the team focuses on Private Equity recaps rather than traditional M&A sellside / buyside advisory. This confused me as I thought a Private Equity recap was just another term for a minority stake M&A sellside / buyside advisory work?

I've tried googling but I'm not fully understanding the difference, could someone explain what a PE recap transaction is in simple terms and how this differs from traditional M&A? And how it differs from a minority stake M&A deal?

I.e. what's the difference between acting as M&A advisor to a company selling a 20% or a 70% stake to a PE fund VS a PE recap? or acting as buyside M&A advisor to a PE fund making a minority investment into a company VS a PE recap?

 
Most Helpful

StrategyJunkie is talking correctly about a dividend (debt) recap. An Equity recap is more or less the same thing, but instead of adding more debt to a company in a dividend recap, you are adding more equity and retiring debt. Investopedia does a decent job of explaining here: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/recapitalization.asp#:~:text=Recap….

The idea of a recapitalization is to change the capital structure (how much debt & equity) a company has on their balance sheet. A dividend recap happens when a company is doing well, and wants to/can add more debt to their balance sheet and the owners use some of that extra debt to pay themselves a dividend. Banks will never lend for a dividend recap unless the company is in a strong financial position and can prove it is going to keep doing well in the future. An equity recap is when a company is in a poor financial position. Usually, a company will have too much debt that they cannot service, so additional equity is needed to change the capital structure to make the debt balance more serviceable.

Recaps often include the same equity investors, so thee is no transfer of ownership. M&A involves a transfer of equity ownership, so that is a very simple way they differ.

 

Adipisci praesentium voluptatum quis cupiditate nesciunt minus. Molestias voluptatem nam eius non. Commodi dignissimos ut rerum. Eaque voluptatem voluptatem quam adipisci iste minima.

Recusandae repellat nemo ut molestiae. Sit qui voluptas magni aliquid temporibus.

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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”