The parent of Madame Tussaud’s and a clean energy business backed by the financier Guy Hands each said on Monday that they plan to go public on the London Stock Exchange, as their private equity owners seek to begin cashing out of their investments.
With stock markets showing strong gains this year, private equity firms have been rushing to take advantage of rising valuations for their companies through initial public offerings.
Even the British government sought to join in by selling off a piece of the Royal Mail last week. The stock sale was enormously oversubscribed. (Still, the government has been criticized for setting the price of the I.P.O. too low, letting the share price rise more than 50 percent since trading began.)
Merlin Entertainments, whose properties include Madame Tussaud’s and Legoland, plans to raise £200 million, or $322.8 million, in the offering. The company’s owners â€" the Blackstone Group, CVC Capital and the investment vehicle of the Kristiansen family, which created Lego â€" also plan to sell some of their holdings.
The theme park operator reported £346 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization last year, up 13 percent from the same time a year ago.
Goldman Sachs and Barclays will serve as joint global coordinators for the offering, while Lazard is serving as financial adviser.
And Infinis, the company owned by Mr. Hands’ Terra Firma private equity firm, said that it planned to sell its shares next month.
The company focuses on several sources of renewable energy, including wind power, hydroelectric power and gas from landfills. It reported £34.3 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, and £56.7 million for the second quarter this year.
Barclays, Deutsche Bank and RBC will serve as joint global coordinators, while Gleacher Shacklock and Climate Change Capital are serving as financial advisers.
