Blackstone hires bankers for $500 million AGS Health IPO, eyes 3x valuation jump in a year
A year after it acquired AGS Health from EQT in a billion-dollar transaction, global private equity firm Blackstone has hired bankers to plan a listing for the company at three times the buy value, three people with knowledge of the development said. The company, which is now being valued upwards of $3 billion, will look to raise around $500 million from the public market listing, these people added.AGS, which provides a host of services, including medical billing, claim submission, denial management and medical coding, has appointed investment banks JM Financial, Jefferies, ICICI Securities, Nomura and JP Morgan India and others for the IPO.“It will be a mix of primary plus secondary share sale,” said one of the people cited above.
The company, which is 100% owned by Blackstone, is likely to sell a 10-15% stake through the offering. “The company will look at a confidential filing by the end of April or May,” a second person cited above said.The potential offer comes amid a cooling IPO market, in which big offers have failed to generate listing gains for selling shareholders since January.
Many companies have now delayed their public offerings by at least a few months, including payment firms, private equity-backed quick-commerce firms, and hospitality brands, Mint reported on 25 March.AGS works with healthcare providers and insurance companies to help them increase profitability, scalability, and compliance. EQT, formerly Barings Private Equity Asia, acquired AGS in 2019 for $320 million.
Read on livemint.com