Private-Equity Concern Rises Over Buyout Debt Levels, FT Reports
Evercore Partners Inc Founder and Chairman Roger Altman
JB Reed/Bloomberg
Evercore Partners Inc Founder and Chairman Roger Altman.
Evercore Partners Inc Founder and Chairman Roger Altman. Photographer: JB Reed/Bloomberg
Private-equity officials say they are concerned by rising levels of debt in buyouts, the Financial Times reported.
In some instances, debt levels have reached seven times operating profit, a level hardly seen since the credit crisis started, the newspaper said.
Joseph Schull, European head at Warburg Pincus, and Howard Marks, chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, said market participants should be cautious about repeating the mistakes of the previous credit bubble, the newspaper reported.
The average debt multiple for larger buyouts, or net debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization rose to more than five times earnings in the first quarter in Europe and the U.S. from a low of 4.5 and 4 respectively in 2009, the newspaper said, citing Standard & Poor’s.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Kraus at Jkraus2@bloomberg.net
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