Moelis & Company, the boutique investment bank founded by Kenneth D. Moelis, has begun working with advisers on a potential initial public offering, people briefed on the matter said on Friday.
The firm is working with Goldman Sachs and is expected to add other counselors as well. Executives at the firm have entertained pitches from potential underwriters in recent months.
It isn’t clear whether the investment bank will go forward with an I.P.O. or pursue another transaction.
Should Moelis go public, it would be joining a handful of independent investment banks that already reside on the stock markets and fulfill an ambition of its founder. And it would come at a time when these firms â€" smaller than the likes of Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan Chase â€" have nonetheless been collecting more and more deal fees.
Shares of Moelis’ publicly traded competitors rose last year, in particular those of Evercore Partners (which more than doubled) and Lazard Ltd. (up about 52 percent).
Since its founding in 2007, Moelis has become one of the biggest of the independent banks, dispensing advice on mergers, bankruptcies and other corporate transactions across the globe. Among its biggest assignments last year was the merger of the advertising giants Omnicom and Publicis.
The firm has also advised governments as well, including that of Dubai on the reorganization of Dubai World.
Moelis ranked 15th in worldwide announced deals last year and fourth in announced restructurings, according to data from Thomson Reuters.
While Moelis counts Sumitomo Mitsui, one of Japan’s biggest banks, as one of its investors, much of its privately held stock lies in the hands of the deal makers it has hired over the years. Many of these bankers, especially recent recruits, have counted on an I.P.O. or a sale of the firm to provide them with their big payout.
A spokeswoman for the firm declined to comment.
News of Moelis’ preparations was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.
