We study the impact of PE firm and buyout characteristics on default probability employing a Cox proportional hazards model to a global sample of 5,093 buyouts between 1997 and 2012. Our results indicate that investments of generalists have lower default probability than those of specialists....

Stylized facts suggest that strategic acquirers can pay for synergies, while private equity (PE) firms cannot because of the missing operating fit with the portfolio company. However, if PE firms initiate buy-and-build strategies, there is potential for an operating fit between the portfolio...

In this paper we address the magnitude of debt-related tax shields employing a proprietary data set of 56 German leveraged buyouts (LBOs) completed between 1997 and 2011. In particular we examine the relevance and performance contribution of tax shields under different financing policies, and...