During this session, Aymen Mahmoud, partner and co-head of the London Finance, Restructuring and Special Situations Group, led a discussion that explored the metrics that can be used to differentiate between short- and long-term impact, the effect of covenant lite, high-yield financings and where the greatest need will exist for special situations capital in the coming years. Session panelists included:
- Sean Britain, Managing Director, H.I.G. Capital/Bayside Capital
- David Groban, Managing Director, Searchlight Capital Partners
- Vikas Keswani, Managing Director, HPS Investment Partners
- Michael O’Hara, Co-Head of US Debt Advisory & Restructuring, Managing Director, Jefferies
Below are key takeaways from the discussion:
- The session commenced by asking the panelists about current valuation trends. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are looking very different in 2022 because of a large amount of excess capital, the private equity fundraising environment has changed significantly and investors are able to explore opportunities in new sectors such as shipping, food and agriculture. Additionally, investors have recognized the increased interest in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and calls for rescue funding. Notwithstanding such volatility, investors are optimistic about the future and have found that to proceed in this environment, investors cannot solely rely on valuation. There is a large focus on due diligence as investors are less reliant on contracts and more focused on the life span of a company because they want to understand the entire target company to determine whether it is viable.
- Sean began his discussion by noting that the current, benign investing environment (which was not the case in years past) has provided investors with the chance to explore new opportunities because of a large amount of excess capital. He also emphasized the importance of due diligence in a volatile market, going beyond just the contracts that result from the volatility of valuations. Sean further noted that diligence can be extremely helpful in assessing the life span of a target company and whether it is possible for said target company to create cash flow or a solution that provides additional capital. Sean wrapped up his discussion by stating that there is a focus on finding “hustlers” that private equity firms can give liquidity to so they can successfully maintain their business and explore different niche areas like the food industry and shipping. Ultimately, Sean said he is optimistic about the next 18 months to the extent due diligence is conducted on distressed businesses (aka businesses that, if provided with liquidity to reach the other side, would generate cash flow and operate successfully).
- David discussed how a combination of the current global political climate, energy, inflation and supply chain concern have caused …….
Source: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/value-investing-forum-2022-scaling-up-8495494/