From holiday leftovers to public takeovers

We imagine you’ve all been celebrating the holidays with plenty of leftovers to tuck in to. In a similar vein, PE sponsors have been well fed on public takeovers in 2025, attracted by favorable pricing with valuations weighed down by passive investing. Global take-private deal volume rose from a median of about $64 billion per quarter in 2023 to nearly $100 billion, according to FactSet, through the first nine months of 2025. The ‘battlefield’ for banner deals in 2025 was best illustrated in September with the $55 billion take-private of Electronic Arts, the biggest LBO in history. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Dayforce and Clearwater Analytics were other notable deals in 2025. Let’s see if the public market buffet remains just as appetizing in 2026.

From the IPEM Team we’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, jam packed with fresh deals!