7 stories we are following this AM at Becker Private Equity and Business Podcast
1. Futures point down today after the markere fell yesterday. The S&P 500 is down 5.37% year to date. The Nasdaq is down 7.12% year to date.
2. Skechers jumped nearly 25% as 3G Capital agreed to buy the company for nearly $9.42 billion. Skechers. The company has moved from family start up to global powerhouse over three decades. The deal is being called the biggest shoe buyout in history. Footwear News.
3. KKR is down nearly 23% year to date. It reported increases in fee earnings but noted that monetization opportunities remain challenging and that raising capital also may face challenges. Blackstone is down 21% year to date. Apollo Global Management, Inc. is down 19% year to date.
Large funds are collecting enough fees to sustain themselves during a tough deal environment. Many smaller funds are struggling and we are hearing stories of some small funds laying off most of their teams.
4. Palantir Technologies is down 8% pre market on concerns re its sales forecasts going forward. It increased its sales forecast for 2025 to nearly $3.9 billion but the markets had expected more growth.
5. Ford Motor Company is slightly down pre market after indicating it expects a nearly $1.5 billion hit from tariffs. It’s profits were already way down for the first quarter. It is hard to really calibrate what is due to tariffs and what is due to management.
6. We were thrilled yesterday to interview Chris Felderman of Palm Tree LLC on the Becker Private Equity and Business Podcast and Chris Ellis of Thatch on the Becker’s Healthcare podcast. We are excited to feature two new firms on the Becker Private Equity and Business Podcast 1. Hueman People Solutions Dina DeMarco and 2. John Santana of Clearwater. Also thankful to recently feature Aniket Bhardwaj Charles River Associates and Sean Carson Sales Empowerment Group.
7. Zimmer Biomet dropped nearly 12% yesterday as it reduced its earnings guidance downward for the year. It reported declines in the areas of tech and data, bond cement and surgical product lines but higher growth in its hips line.
PS. We were thankful to just complete our largest and most vibrant Becker’s Healthcare Annual Meeting in the 30 plus year history of the company. A great experience.