Public equities beat private equity on valuation
The guest argued that public equities currently offer far superior risk-adjusted returns compared to private equity due to a massive valuation disconnect and healthier balance sheets.
The argument
The guest asserted that private equity has devolved from an opportunistic value-unlocking model into a high-fee asset accumulation business. Because private equity operates as an efficient market where assets sell to the highest bidder at or above fair value, public markets - where companies frequently trade at half the multiples of private market transactions with little to no leverage - present a much more attractive risk-reward profile.
The thesis, stress-tested
✓ What validates it
- ✓Public-to-private transactions occurring at significant premiums
- ✓A narrowing of the valuation multiple gap between public small-caps and private market buyouts
▸ Risks discussed
- ▸Public market volatility can cause short-term mark-to-market drawdowns
- ▸Extended periods of public market underperformance before valuation gaps close
Hear it yourself
"Conversely, you have the public companies, which we think trade for multiples that are half the multiples of what the private equity is paying for businesses, frequently unlevered businesses."
00:00 / 00:12