The newly public Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) has agreed to buy Hilton Hotels Corp. (NYSE: HLT) for a cool $26 billion.
It looks like the death of private equity has been widely exaggerated. This comes on the same day KKR filed to go public.
It was back in 1919 that Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel in Cisco, Texas. He certainly had lots of drive and ambition. Now, the company has 2,800 hotels and 480,000 rooms across 76 countries.
But Hilton thinks it's better keeping things private (at least for now). And, hey, why not take billions from the hungry Blackstone?
The deal comes at $47.50 or a 40% premium from yesterday's closing stock price.
When the markets open on Thursday, it will be interesting to see how Blackstone's stock reacts to the news.
Actually, the deal is a good fit for Blackstone. After all, the firm has been ravenous for hotel/resort properties. In fact, it owns more than 100,000 hotel rooms and has brands like La Quinta and LXR Luxury Resorts and Hotels.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.
