NIQ Global was carved out of Nielsen in 2021
Consumer intelligence firm seeks as much as $1.2 billion in US IPO
NIQ marketing 50 million shares between $20-$24 apiece
Adds analyst comment in paragraph 7
By Arasu Kannagi Basil
July 14 (Reuters) - Consumer intelligence company NIQ Global is targeting a valuation of up to $7.26 billion on a fully diluted basis in its U.S. initial public offering, as private equity-backed listings begin to re-emerge after a recent slowdown.
The Chicago, Illinois-based company, which is backed by investment giants Advent International and KKR KKR.N, aims to raise up to $1.20 billion by offering 50 million shares priced between $20 and $24 apiece, it said on Monday.
Private equity-backed IPOs slowed significantly in the second quarter, as tariff-driven volatility weighed on new listings. However, a rebound in equity markets is encouraging buyout firms to take their portfolio companies public.
Textbook publisher McGraw Hill, backed by billionaire Tom Gores' Platinum Equity, also kicked off its U.S. IPO roadshow on Monday.
The U.S. IPO market is set for a burst of activity over the next fortnight as companies look to go public before the annual August lull kicks in.
"While there may be some turbulence from the unfolding tariff situation, the indexes have continued to grind to all-time highs at the same time as Q2 IPOs have performed relatively well, suggesting the environment for new IPOs remains strong," said Riley Mullin, equity analyst at Renaissance Capital, a provider of IPO-focused research and ETFs.
NIQ's listing comes roughly four years after its $2.7 billion carve-out from Nielsen Holdings in 2021, when Advent and James Peck, former CEO of TransUnion TRU.N, acquired Nielsen's Global Connect unit.
Competing with Circana, Kantar, and YouGov, NIQ provides brands and retailers with insights into consumer shopping behavior to help fine-tune their products and strategies.
The company operates in 90 countries and caters to roughly 23,000 companies including Coca-Cola KO.N, Walmart WMT.N, and Sony 6758.T.
NIQ, which has tapped over 20 Wall Street banks for the IPO, will list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NIQ." J.P. Morgan, BofA Securities, and UBS are the lead underwriters.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com;))