Significant PE Deals Timeline
Toys "R" Us leveraged buyout
Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts, the future KKR, took Toys "R" Us private in what is widely called the first true leveraged...
R.J. Reynolds taken private by the 'Texas Rangers'
In one of the first modern take-privates, a group of investors led by the heirs of the Reynolds family, backed by Michae...
KKR takes RJR Nabisco private
In the most famous leveraged buyout ever, KKR bought RJR Nabisco for $25.3 billion, more than double the company's marke...
Unilever acquires Best Foods
In one of the largest food-industry deals of the 1980s, Unilever bought Best Foods, the American company behind brands l...
KKR, TPG, Carlyle and Blackstone take Dell private
In what was the largest private-equity deal ever at the time, a consortium of the biggest PE firms in the world, togethe...
Dell returns to the public markets
After six years in private hands, Dell went back to the public markets in a blockbuster initial public offering that rai...
Blackstone acquires Ares Capital's credit business
In a landmark deal that changed the shape of the alternative-assets industry, Blackstone bought a majority stake in Ares...
Apollo acquires Halliburton's UK business
Apollo Global Management made a major acquisition in the energy services space, buying specific Halliburton business uni...
PE firms expand healthcare platform investments
Healthcare has become one of the most active sectors for large private-equity deals, with several multi-billion-dollar p...
Large technology carve-outs and platform deals
Technology has become one of the most active sectors for large PE deals, with sponsors like Thoma Bravo and Vista Equity...