The private equity (PE) industry has been growing over the recent years and a large amount of capital is invested in Nordic private equity funds. Buyouts which are focusing on a leverage effect, known as the leverage buyout (LBO), have transformed public companies into private equity owned portfolio companies. The purpose of this report is to describe and analyze the current state of the leverage buyout transaction in the Nordic market, with focus on the factors which are affecting the value creation process. Through an abductive approach, data has been collected from interviews with representatives from PE companies and banks with experience of LBO transactions in both the Eu-ropean and the Nordic market. The objective was to examine the factors which are affect-ing the value creation process and to examine why LBO transactions in the Nordic PE market has generated higher EBITDA multiples than in the European market. The study shows that PE companies operating in the Nordic market tends to appreciate operational and organizational value rather than multiple values. Nordic PE companies have in general exercised longer investments in the portfolio companies compared to European PE companies. The long term investments implementation has enabled the Nordic PE companies to accomplish entrepreneurial actions in a further extent. Nordic PE companies have also been successful in their streamlining process of the organ-ization structure, which partly explains the greater EBITDA multiples generated in the Nordic market. Another significant factor is the favorable tax regulation in Sweden which has been beneficial for the whole Nordic PE market. The current financial condition has affected both the activity and the transaction structure of LBO’s in the Nordic market. The equity proportion has increased, while unsecured loans such as mezzanine loans and second lien loans have decreased. Nordic PE companies have also stopped using syndicated loans, as it has been too risky to renegotiate debt re-payments with several banks. The study concludes that Nordic PE companies will in the nearest future change their geo-graphical focus more too emerging markets, while turn-a-rounds strategies will be used more frequently in the Nordic market.

<p>The private equity (PE) industry has been growing over the recent years and a large amount of capital is invested in Nordic private equity funds. Buyouts which are focusing on a leverage effect, known as the leverage buyout (LBO), have transformed public companies into private equity owned portfolio companies. The purpose of this report is to describe and analyze the current state of the leverage buyout transaction in the Nordic market, with focus on the factors which are affecting the value creation process.</p><p>Through an abductive approach, data has been collected from interviews with representatives from PE companies and banks with experience of LBO transactions in both the Eu-ropean and the Nordic market. The objective was to examine the factors which are affect-ing the value creation process and to examine why LBO transactions in the Nordic PE market has generated higher EBITDA multiples than in the European market.</p><p>The study shows that PE companies operating in the Nordic market tends to appreciate operational and organizational value rather than multiple values. Nordic PE companies have in general exercised longer investments in the portfolio companies compared to European PE companies. The long term investments implementation has enabled the Nordic PE companies to accomplish entrepreneurial actions in a further extent. Nordic PE companies have also been successful in their streamlining process of the organ-ization structure, which partly explains the greater EBITDA multiples generated in the Nordic market. Another significant factor is the favorable tax regulation in Sweden which has been beneficial for the whole Nordic PE market. The current financial condition has affected both the activity and the transaction structure of LBO’s in the Nordic market. The equity proportion has increased, while unsecured loans such as mezzanine loans and second lien loans have decreased. Nordic PE companies have also stopped using syndicated loans, as it has been too risky to renegotiate debt re-payments with several banks. The study concludes that Nordic PE companies will in the nearest future change their geo-graphical focus more too emerging markets, while turn-a-rounds strategies will be used more frequently in the Nordic market.</p>

Syfte: Utvecklingen av skuldsatta företagsförvärv har genomgått betydande förändringar sedan fenomenet först introducerades på 1980-talet, både vad gäller den totala skuldnivån och val av skuldinstrument. Tidigare forskning erbjuder flera alternativa förklaringar till vad som påverkar skuldsättningen. Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar skuldsättningen vid högbelånade företagsförvärv i Sverige. Metod: Studien tillämpar en kvantitativ deduktiv ansats med utgångspunkt i den positivistiska forskningsfilosofin. Studiens insamlade data av sekundärdata inhämtat från Thomson Reuters datastream Refinitiv Eikon. 89 svenska bolag har blivit uppköpta med högbelåning av riskkapitalbolag bolag mellan 2000–2023. Studiens data har sedan analyserats med hjälp av statistikprogrammet SPSS, där univariat, bivariat och multivariata analyser genomförts.  Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet från uppsatsen visar att skuldsättningen i svenska högbelånade företagsförvärv kan förklaras med hjälp av den klassiska hackordningsteorin. Resultatet skiljer sig från forskning från USA och Europa som menar att marknadstajmingsteorin förklarar skuldsättningen bättre vid belånade företagsförvärv. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar med kunskap till banker, riskkapitalbolag, företagsledare och investerare. För bankerna innebär arbetet en möjlighet att förbättra riskhanteringen och kreditbedömningen vid långivning. Riskkapitalbolagen kan genomföra bättre investeringsbeslut och skapa hållbara kapitalstrukturer.Förslag till fortsatt forskning: För framtida forskning hade det varit intressant att utvidga urvalet till att studera hela Norden. Det vore också spännande för framtida forskning inom skuldsättning och högbelånade företagsförvärv att göra detta med en kvalitativ ansats. / Aim: The development of leveraged buyouts has undergone significant changes since the phenomenon was first introduced in the 1980s, both in terms of the overall debt levels and the choices of debt instruments. Previous research provides several alternative explanations for what influences the indebtedness. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine which factors that influence the leverage in leveraged buyouts in Sweden.  Method: The study employs a quantitative deductive approach based on the positivist research philosophy. The collected data is derived from secondary sources, specifically Thomson Reuters Datastream Refinitiv Eikon. The sample consists of 89 Swedish companies that have been acquired through leverage buyouts by Swedish private equity firms between 2000 and 2023. The study's data has subsequently been analyzed using the statistical software SPSS, with univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses conducted. Results and conclusions: The findings of the thesis indicate that the leverage in Swedish leverage buyouts can be explained by employing the classical Pecking order theory. This result differs from research conducted in the United States and Europe, which suggests that market timing theory provides a better explanation for leverage in leverage buyouts. Contribution of the Thesis: The study contributes knowledge to banks, private equity firms, corporate leaders, and investors. For banks, the thesis presents an opportunity to enhance risk management and credit assessment in lending. Private equity firms can make better investment decisions and establish sustainable capital structures. Suggestions for future research: For future research, it would be interesting to expand the sample to encompass the entire Nordic region. It would also be exciting for future research in debt and leverage buyouts to adopt a qualitative approach

Mercados financeiros e finanças corporativas / Submitted by Cristiane Shirayama (cristiane.shirayama@fgv.br) on 2011-05-21T20:09:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 61080100021.pdf: 1579434 bytes, checksum: 48ff2e28230b8ab64ed6919d82c68a84 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gisele Isaura Hannickel(gisele.hannickel@fgv.br) on 2011-05-23T11:37:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 61080100021.pdf: 1579434 bytes, checksum: 48ff2e28230b8ab64ed6919d82c68a84 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gisele Isaura Hannickel(gisele.hannickel@fgv.br) on 2011-05-23T11:39:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 61080100021.pdf: 1579434 bytes, checksum: 48ff2e28230b8ab64ed6919d82c68a84 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-23T12:18:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 61080100021.pdf: 1579434 bytes, checksum: 48ff2e28230b8ab64ed6919d82c68a84 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-15 / This study investigates the dynamics of earnings management of Brazilian companies previously to their going private operations in the period of 1999 from 2009. Three main issues are investigated: the type of operation (LBO or Acquisition), the periods in which occur significant manipulation and the legislation change in 2001, which main goal was to cohibit the abusive rebuying of shares by the companies that wanted to go private prior to the going-private operation. The sample is composed of 132 companies that went private from 1999 to 2009 and the data were quarterly collected ranging five years. We found evidence that the sample firms manipulated their earnings approximately two years before going private. Also, some results show that there are differences in the direction of earnings management depending on the type of public-to-private operation: LBOs firms tended to manage their earnings up, as well as the companies that were acquired by their controlling firms, while the other acquisitions showed signs of downward manipulations. Finally, we found evidence that the legislation change in 2001 not only might have changed the pattern of firm´s manipulation but has also increased earnings management right after its effective date. / Esse trabalho investiga a dinâmica da manipulação de resultados de empresas brasileiras que fecharam o capital no período de 1999 a 2009. Dentre os fatores investigados estão o tipo de fechamento (OPA, aquisição, aquisição por controladoras), o período de manipulação e a mudança que a Lei nº 10.303/2001 (cujo objetivo era coibir o fechamento branco de capital) teria sobre o gerenciamento. A amostra utilizada é composta de 132 empresas que realizaram o fechamento no período citado, sendo o ciclo de dados coletado para cada empresa de vinte trimestres. Foram achados indícios de que essas empresas manipularam seus ganhos aproximadamente dois anos antes de seu fechamento. Além disso, foram encontradas evidências de diferença de direção de manipulação para os tipos de fechamento: empresas cujos fechamentos ocorreram através de OPA, assim como as que sofreram aquisição por suas controladoras, tenderiam a manipular seus ganhos para baixo, enquanto que as demais aquisições se caracterizariam por terem seus resultados adulterados para cima. Por fim, foram achados indícios de que a Lei nº 10.303/2001 tenha alterado o comportamento de manipulação contábil das empresas e de que houve um aumento de manipulação logo em seguida à sua vigência.