EGL learns a tough lesson about private equity


In early January, EGL Inc. (NASDAQ:EAGL) announced it was going private in a $1.65 billion transaction. The company is a major air shipper, focused on heavy cargo.

The company's founder and CEO, James Crane, was going to roll-in his 18% equity stake and even invest more in the buyout transaction. All in all, it was a good sign.

Well, this week, the private equity investor in the deal, General Atlantic LLC, bailed out. The reason? The firm was disappointed with EGL's fourth-quarter numbers.

On the news, the stock price plunged 18%.

But Crane is not giving up. He is searching for other backers.

No doubt, there is a large number of private equity firms looking for deals. However, they will certainly be skeptical. After all, it's not often something like this happens.

As a result, however, trying to get a purchase price back at $36 may be difficult.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

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Last updated: February 13, 2012: 05:04 AM

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