Deals

Ancestry.com Owners Aim to Extract $900 Million Payout With Loan

  • Dividend is among largest funded with junk debt this year
  • Company seeks approval for additional one-time distribution
Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg
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The owners of Ancestry.com Inc., the DNA analysis and family tree company, are turning to a well-tested private equity play for taking cash out of a company: topping up on debt.

An investor group led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firm Silver Lake Management LLC is looking to pull out more than $900 million from the company through a special dividend mostly funded by new borrowings. They are also seeking approval for another one-time distribution before year-end.