Publications
Publications
- 2015
- HBS Working Paper Series
What Do Private Equity Firms Say They Do?
By: Paul A. Gompers, Steven N. Kaplan and Vladimir Mukharlyamov
Abstract
We survey 79 private equity investors with combined assets under management (AUM) of over $750 billion about their practices in firm valuation, capital structure, governance, and value creation. Investors rely primarily on internal rate of return (IRR) and multiples to evaluate investments. Their limited partners (LPs) focus more on absolute performance. Capital structure choice is based equally on optimal trade-off and market timing considerations. PE investors anticipate adding value to portfolio companies, with a greater focus on increasing growth than on reducing costs. We also explore how the actions that PE managers say they take group into specific firm strategies and how those strategies are related to firm founder characteristics.
Keywords
Governance; Value Creation; Private Equity; Capital Structure; Valuation; Management Practices and Processes
Citation
Gompers, Paul A., Steven N. Kaplan, and Vladimir Mukharlyamov. "What Do Private Equity Firms Say They Do?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-081, April 2015.
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