Fund Manager GLG Agrees to Sell Itself hedge fund

AP
Fund Manager GLG Agrees to Sell Itself
Monday June 25, 11:23 am ET Fund Manager GLG Agrees to Sell Itself in Reverse Takeover for US$3.4 Billion

LONDON (AP) -- GLG Partners LP, a European fund manager with US$20 billion (euro14.9 billion) under management, said Monday it is selling itself in a reverse takeover for US$3.4 billion (euro2.5 billion) in a deal that gives it access to the U.S. stock market.

Under the terms of the deal with Freedom Acquisition Holdings Inc. the combined company will be named GLG Partners Inc. and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange. GLG, which is not currently traded, may also seek a listing in Europe.

"This strategic transaction is an important step in building GLG's global business, affording us the opportunity to increase brand awareness and expand in major targeted markets," said Noam Gottesman, co-chief executive of GLG.

New York-based Freedom Acquisition is a so-called blank check company, an investment vehicle that allows the parent company to raise money for acquisitions by listing on the stock exchange. They don't name their acquisitions before listing and selling shares.

GLG will receive US$1 billion (euro742.7 billion) in cash and 230 million shares of Freedom common stock, the company said in a statement. Freedom's shareholders will own approximately 28 percent and current GLG equity holders will own about 72 percent of the combined company's shares.

"I think its another example of securitizing the business in the same way that private equity has been buying up" businesses, said Richard Hunter, a broker at Hargreaves Lansdown in London. Management is "looking to crystalize the value of their business."

High-risk and largely unregulated, hedge funds have traditionally been the investment domain of the wealthy. But they and private equity firms have become more popular investments because of the returns that they offer.

Shares of private equity group Blackstone Group shares rose 13 percent in their stock market debut last week, as investors scrambled for a piece of the sixth-richest initial public offering in U.S. history. The company is worth about US$38 billion (euro28.27 billion).

Around 9,400 hedge funds operated worldwide at the end of 2006, controlling assets of some US$1.4 trillion (euro1.04 trillion). That's more than twice as many hedge funds as operated five years ago, while funds under management have nearly tripled during the same period, according to Chicago-based Hedge Fund Research Inc.

The GLG transaction is subject to Freedom shareholder and regulatory approval. GLG expects to complete the deal early in the fourth quarter.