Knowledge@Wharton Takes On PE-Sponsored IPO Landscape

When private equity firms buy a company they don’t want to hold onto it forever, and one of the standard exit strategies is to take it public (not always for the first time) with an IPO. But there just wasn’t enough appetite for new offerings among investors after the financial crisis and the pace of IPOs collapsed, leaving a long queue now that the market has improved.

“March proceeds are up 143% against last year and volumes are up 46% against last year, so it’s moved into the first quarter here clearly, as well. Markets, as you know, like stocks to be...