Acquisition Significantly Expands Firm’s Existing Corporate Finance Footprint in Spain
MADRID and LOS ANGELES — November 5, 2019 — Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI), the global investment bank, announced today that it has acquired Fidentiis Capital as the firm continues to grow its European Corporate Finance business. With a focus on the mid-cap market in Spain, Fidentiis Capital provides independent corporate finance advisory services relating to mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and financing.
This is the fifth acquisition that Houlihan Lokey has made in Europe in the past four years, following the acquisitions of McQueen Limited and Leonardo & Co. in 2015 and BearTooth Advisors and Quayle Munro in 2018. The firm now has more than 260 bankers in Europe, up from 80 in 2014, including 180 in Corporate Finance.
“The strong cultural fit between the firms is clear, and we are excited with this next step in the continued evolution of our European Corporate Finance business towards our goal of being a leader in every market where we operate,” said Scott Beiser, Chief Executive Officer of Houlihan Lokey.
Fidentiis Capital, based in Madrid, was founded in 2015 by its Managing Partners, Carlos Paramés and Juan Luis Muñoz, and Fidentiis Equities. To date, Fidentiis Capital has completed more than 25 M&A transactions in the Spanish mid-cap segment, having recently advised ProA Capital on the acquisition of a majority stake in Pastas Gallo; Compañía del Trópico in structuring new financing provided by Kartesia; Riverside on the sale of Euromed to Dermapharm; and Falcon Private Holdings on the acquisition of Halcón Cerámicas.
Mr. Paramés and Mr. Muñoz join Houlihan Lokey as Managing Directors, reporting to Matteo Manfredi, Head of Corporate Finance for Continental Europe. They will work together with Managing Directors Ignacio Blasco and Manuel Martínez-Fidalgo and their existing Corporate Finance and Financial Restructuring teams, respectively.
“Fidentiis Capital has established itself as a leading mid-cap advisory firm in Spain, and both Carlos and Juan Luis are well-respected advisors in the region who share the same commitment to providing the best possible outcomes for clients as we do,” Mr. Manfredi commented.
“Houlihan Lokey brings unrivalled sector expertise, true global reach, and a reputation for outstanding intellectual capital,” Mr. Paramés said. “We are delighted to join such a powerful platform and look forward to bringing all of these attributes to our clients as well as providing deeper access to the Spanish market for Houlihan Lokey’s clients.”
“We are very excited to join Houlihan Lokey’s team,” Mr. Muñoz added, “We think the firm’s global leadership in investment banking is the perfect match for our local expertise and will help us create value for all of our clients through a wide range of services.”
Houlihan Lokey opened its Madrid office in 2013 and expanded its presence following the acquisition of the investment banking activities of Leonardo & Co. in Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Among other Spanish transactions, the firm has recently advised on the sale of Natra to Investindustrial, and the acquisition of Ice Cream Factory Comaker by Ferrero.
In 2018, Houlihan Lokey was ranked for the fourth consecutive year as both the No. 1 M&A advisor for all U.S. transactions and a top-10 most active global M&A advisor, based on Thomson Reuters’ annual year-end league table data.
Houlihan Lokey and Fidentiis Capital acted as their own advisors on this transaction.