Demitri Diakantonis

New York

Managing Editor at Mergers & Acquisitions

Managing Editor @TheMiddleMarket

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Articles

Merit Financial Expands With RCM Investments Deals

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

RIA aggregator Merit Financial Advisors has acquired RCM Investments, a Utah-based wealth management firm with $281 million in assets. The deal marks Merit’s first office in Utah and its 37th acquisition since receiving backing from Wealth Partners Capital Group and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings in 2020, Private Banker International reported. RCM’s four principals will join Merit as wealth managers and partners.
KKR Backs Out of Stake in Thames Water

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

Thames Water‘s effort to avoid nationalization has been dealt a major setback as U.S. private equity firm KKR (NYSE: KKR) withdrew its bid to acquire an equity stake, the BBC reported. KKR had been the preferred partner in the utility’s recapitalization push but has now walked away, with Thames calling the move “disappointing.” The troubled water utility, burdened by £20 billion (around $27.1 billion) in debt, now appears unlikely to meet its goal of securing fresh equity by the end of June.
Skechers Shareholder Sues Over $9.4B 3G Capital Buyout

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

A Skechers USA (NYSE: SKX) shareholder has filed a lawsuit seeking more information about the company’s $9.4 billion proposed sale to private equity firm 3G Capital.
Snowflake to Acquire Crunchy Data in $250M Deal

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) has agreed to acquire Crunchy Data, a provider of Postgres database services, in a deal estimated at around $250 million, according to TechCrunch. The acquisition will help Snowflake launch Snowflake Postgres, an enterprise-grade PostgreSQL database, further strengthening its platform for AI agent-driven data workloads.
Stada Reportedly Explores Sale or IPO

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

German pharmaceutical company Stada is in talks with two private equity firms regarding a potential sale, Reuters reported. If those talks fall through, owners Bain Capital and Cinven may pursue an IPO as early as October. A Stada spokesperson confirmed the company is evaluating both sale and IPO options with its owners. The firm had previously postponed a Frankfurt IPO in March due to market volatility.
Goldman Sachs Targets Record Raise for 10th Secondaries Fund

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) is seeking to surpass the $14.2 billion it raised for its ninth secondaries fund with a new flagship vehicle, marking its most ambitious push yet to provide liquidity to private equity investors. The firm’s asset management unit is actively pitching the tenth iteration to investors, aiming to capitalize on growing demand from endowments, pensions and family offices facing cash shortfalls due to slow exits in the buyout market, Bloomberg is reporting.
HSBC to Invest $4B in Private Credit to Boost Profits

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

HSBC Holdings will inject $4 billion into its private credit funds through HSBC Asset Management, aiming to scale the platform to $50 billion over five years by attracting additional external capital, according to Zacks.com. The move reflects a broader strategy to boost profitability through higher-margin, less-regulated private credit markets as traditional lending margins shrink. The funds will be deployed globally, with an initial focus on direct lending in the U.K. and Asia.
University of Idaho Ends Bid to Acquire University of Phoenix

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

The University of Idaho has officially terminated its controversial plan to acquire the University of Phoenix for $550 million. The deal, first announced two years ago, involved nonprofit Four Three Education—affiliated with U of I—purchasing the for-profit online school from Apollo (NYSE: APO). Both institutions mutually agreed to end negotiations, citing Phoenix’s pursuit of other strategic options better aligned with its mission, reported Idaho Statesman.
Petronas Explores Sale or Stake Sale of Canadian Energy Unit

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

Malaysian state energy firm Petronas is exploring strategic options for its Canadian subsidiary, formerly Progress Energy Resources, including a full or partial sale, according to Bloomberg. The company is working with a financial adviser and has begun gauging interest from potential buyers. A full sale could value the business between $6 billion and $7 billion.
Allen Media Group Explores Sale of 28 Broadcast Stations

3 weeks ago | themiddlemarket.com | Demitri Diakantonis

Allen Media Group has hired Moelis & Co. (NYSE: MC) to explore the sale of its 28 ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliate stations across 21 U.S. markets. The move follows numerous inquiries and offers for the stations, according to AMG founder and CEO Byron Allen. Allen says the company, which invested over $1 billion in acquiring the stations over the past six years, is now seeking a return on that investment, AdWeek reported. Proceeds from any sale would be used to significantly reduce AMG’s debt.