Q1 Barometer: deal volume and value decline

unquote" and SL Capital
08 May 2015

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Both the volume and value of European private equity-backed deals declined in the first three months of the year, according to the latest unquote” Private Equity Barometer, published in association with SL Capital Partners.

The volume of European private equity deals slipped by 10% in the first quarter of 2015, from 372 deals in Q4 2014 to 334 transactions.

Total deal value also dropped by 25%, with average deal value coming in at €59m, which represents a 16% decline from the previous quarter and the lowest recorded average for the last 12 months.

In the buyout segment, transaction numbers fell to 116 for the first three months of the year, a decrease of 23 from the 139 recorded in the previous quarter. This figure also represents the lowest total recorded for the last eight quarters.

Total deal value for the buyout segment also decreased, by 28% from Q4 2014's €23.3bn to just €16.9bn.

In the growth capital segment, the total number of deals held steady at 188 transactions, the same number recorded in the previous period. Furthermore this deal type witnessed a moderate uptick in deal value, of 5%, from €2.6bn in Q4 2014 to €2.7bn in the first three months of the year.

For early-stage deals, total deal volume saw a fairly dramatic drop of 33% – from 45 transactions recorded in the previous quarter to 30 deals in Q1 2015. The aggregate value of early-stage deals also declined, from €222m in Q4 2014 to just €87m.

To read the full report, with detailed analyses and regional breakdowns, click here.

All data is sourced from unquote" data, unquote's proprietary database. To conduct your own searches on pan-European private equity trends, visit unquotedata.com.