Houlihan Lokey Advises Emerging Portfolio Fund Research

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Emerging Portfolio Fund Research (EPFR), owned by Informa Plc, has been acquired by Montagu, a leading private equity firm.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a presence in the world’s major financial hubs across the US, UK and APAC, EPFR provides fund flows and asset allocation data to financial institutions around the world. Tracking over 142,000 traditional and alternative funds domiciled globally with more than $52.5 trillion in total assets, EPFR delivers a complete picture of institutional and retail investor flows and fund manager allocations driving global markets. EPFR’s market leading data services include daily weekly and monthly equity and fixed income fund flows and monthly fund allocations by country, sector, and industry.

Todd Willits, CEO of EPFR, said, “We are excited to be partnering with Montagu. With their expertise in tech-enablement and specialist carve-out experience, we are confident they will provide EPFR with a platform for long-lasting, accelerated growth. With their support, we will build on existing initiatives to drive innovative new products and services, while accelerating growth and raising brand awareness as we look to establish ourselves as a high-quality company in our own right."

Montagu is a leading mid-market private equity firm, committed to finding and growing businesses that make the world work. With deep experience in healthcare and the tech-enablement of essential businesses, Montagu brings proven growth capabilities to help companies achieve their ambitions and unlock the full potential of their business. Montagu is committed to the mid-market, with a focus in carve-out transactions and other first-time buyout investments. ESG forms an integral part of its strategy, and its commitment to sustainable investment is fully integrated into its investment and value-creation process. Montagu partners with companies with enterprise values between €150 million and €2 billion and has €10bn assets under management.

Pascal Ambrosi, Montagu Director, shared, “EPFR exhibits many of the hallmarks of a Montagu investment, a clear market leader with a track-record of robust growth and strong client relationships. We are excited to partner with the EPFR team and fulfill the company’s growth potential.”

Houlihan Lokey served as the financial advisor to Informa on the sale of EPFR, assisting with initiating, marketing, and negotiating the transaction. This deal highlights Houlihan Lokey’s long-standing reputation as a leading advisor to data and analytics providers within the financial information sector.