NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Nielsen Holdings, the consumer measurement firm known for its dominance in TV ratings, priced shares in its initial public offering above the expected range on Tuesday in a deal that should top $2.2 billion, including the overallotment, CNBC reported on Tuesday.
The company sold shares for $23 each, according to CNBC. It had planned to sell shares for $20 to $22 each, according to a regulatory filing.
Nielsen's multi-billion IPO is the first big private equity offering of 2011. Its performance is expected to set the tone for other big buyout-backed companies looking to go public in the United States, including Toys R Us, hospital operator HCA and pipeline company Kinder Morgan.
Nielsen is best known for tracking TV viewership and its metrics often determine the fate of a TV programs. But it also keeps tabs on online usage and retail transactions. Its top 10 clients include Coca Cola Co, Nestle SA, News Corporation, Procter & Gamble Co and Unilever NV.
Nielsen was taken private in 2006 in a deal worth just over $10 billion by private equity firms Carlyle Group, Blackstone Group LP, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co , Thomas H. Lee Partners, AlpInvest Partners and Hellman & Friedman.
Underwriters on the IPO were led by JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley. The shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the symbol 'NLSN.'
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba, additional reporting by Clare Baldwin; editing by Carol Bishopric)
((Jennifer.Saba@thomsonreuters.com; 1 646 223-6173; Reuters Messaging: jennifer.saba.reuters.com@reuters.com)) Keywords: NIELSEN/IPO (Visit http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/ for more coverage at the Reuters MediaFile blog) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. 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.
The company sold shares for $23 each, according to CNBC. It had planned to sell shares for $20 to $22 each, according to a regulatory filing.
Nielsen's multi-billion IPO is the first big private equity offering of 2011. Its performance is expected to set the tone for other big buyout-backed companies looking to go public in the United States, including Toys R Us, hospital operator HCA and pipeline company Kinder Morgan.
Nielsen is best known for tracking TV viewership and its metrics often determine the fate of a TV programs. But it also keeps tabs on online usage and retail transactions. Its top 10 clients include Coca Cola Co, Nestle SA, News Corporation, Procter & Gamble Co and Unilever NV.
Nielsen was taken private in 2006 in a deal worth just over $10 billion by private equity firms Carlyle Group, Blackstone Group LP, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co , Thomas H. Lee Partners, AlpInvest Partners and Hellman & Friedman.
Underwriters on the IPO were led by JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley. The shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the symbol 'NLSN.'
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba, additional reporting by Clare Baldwin; editing by Carol Bishopric)
((Jennifer.Saba@thomsonreuters.com; 1 646 223-6173; Reuters Messaging: jennifer.saba.reuters.com@reuters.com)) Keywords: NIELSEN/IPO (Visit http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/ for more coverage at the Reuters MediaFile blog) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. 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.