Private Equity Firm to Acquire J.D. Power

Automotive industry research specialist J.D. Power is to be acquired by private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, with offices in sixteen cities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America, and offers consumer insights, advisory services and analytics. Three years ago, the firm was acquired by London-based investor XIO Group from previous owner McGraw Hill Financial, for $1.1bn in cash.

As part of the latest deal, J.D. Power's existing management team and employee owners will be rolling over their ownership interest in the company. Thoma Bravo says it plans to partner with J.D. Power's existing team in the ongoing expansion of the company, with a focus on continued development of enhanced industry insights, advanced analytics and innovative new offerings.

Dave Habiger (pictured), J.D. Power President and CEO, comments: 'We are thrilled to partner with Thoma Bravo, a firm that clearly understands our space and is well-positioned to help us develop new growth opportunities and continue on our current path of rapid expansion. This is an exciting step forward for our company, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership that will help us maximize our company's fullest potential'.

Thoma Bravo's past and present portfolio companies include Internet and mobile cloud testing and monitoring firm Keynote Systems; enterprise data analysis firm Infogix; US-based government intelligence specialist Deltek; and visual analytics company Qlik.

Web site: www.jdpa.com .