NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Risk advisory firm RiskMetrics Group Inc has put itself up for sale and has spoken to potential bidders, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday.
Boutique bank Evercore partners is handling the sale, according to the source, who asked not to be named because the process is not yet public.
A deadline has not been set for the first round of bids, but the seller has spoken to interested parties, the source said.
The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said the company could fetch around $1.3 billion in an auction.
The newspaper reported that a number of media and private equity firms had been contacted about a potential acquisition of RiskMetrics.
According to the report, MSCI Inc, Bloomberg, McGraw-Hill Cos and Thomson Reuters are interested parties.
RiskMetrics, MSCI, Bloomberg, and McGraw-Hill Cos could not be reached for comment.
Thomson Reuters had no immediate comment.
(Reporting by Jui Chakravorty; Additional reporting by Robert MacMillan; Writing by Megan Davies) Keywords: RISKMETRICS/ (megan.davies@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6112; Reuters Messaging: megan.davies.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Boutique bank Evercore partners is handling the sale, according to the source, who asked not to be named because the process is not yet public.
A deadline has not been set for the first round of bids, but the seller has spoken to interested parties, the source said.
The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said the company could fetch around $1.3 billion in an auction.
The newspaper reported that a number of media and private equity firms had been contacted about a potential acquisition of RiskMetrics.
According to the report, MSCI Inc, Bloomberg, McGraw-Hill Cos and Thomson Reuters are interested parties.
RiskMetrics, MSCI, Bloomberg, and McGraw-Hill Cos could not be reached for comment.
Thomson Reuters had no immediate comment.
(Reporting by Jui Chakravorty; Additional reporting by Robert MacMillan; Writing by Megan Davies) Keywords: RISKMETRICS/ (megan.davies@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6112; Reuters Messaging: megan.davies.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.