Undervaluation and private equity takeovers

Undervaluation is often offered as an important consideration in private equity transactions. This study analyzes the importance of undervaluation, vis-a-vis information asymmetry, as a determining factor in going-private' transactions in Australia. Using a matched sample of firms from 1990 to 2012, we test a predictive choice model. The empirical results show that market undervaluation is a dominant factor in private equity takeovers. These results are robust to alternative measures of valuation, prevailing market conditions, money flows and subperiods. JEL Classification: G11, G15