SANTA MONICA, Calif. & JACKSONVILLE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., (together with certain of its affiliates, “Clearlake”), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. (“Dun & Bradstreet”) (NYSE: DNB), a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, in a transaction valued at $7.7 billion, including outstanding debt, with an equity value of $4.1 billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by Dun & Bradstreet’s Board of Directors, Dun & Bradstreet shareholders will receive $9.15 in cash for each share of common stock they own.
“We have been on a strategic journey over the last six years, executing a major transformation that has strengthened our business and financial results. We have grown revenue by approximately 40%, EBITDA by 60%, expanded margins by nearly 600 basis points, and leverage has come down from 9 times to 3.6 times, all while extending our lead in data breadth, depth and quality,” said Anthony Jabbour, CEO of Dun & Bradstreet.
“Dun & Bradstreet has built a trusted, globally recognized brand and has amassed a preeminent set of data and analytics that empower organizations of all sizes. As companies become more data-centric in their decisioning in this fast-paced world, we see vast potential for Dun & Bradstreet to deliver AI-powered solutions to their global client base,” said Behdad Eghbali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and James Pade, Partner, at Clearlake.
The agreement includes a 30-day “go-shop” period during which Dun & Bradstreet can solicit alternative proposals. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.
Financial advisors to Clearlake include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Rothschild & Co, Barclays, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Santander, and Wells Fargo. Ares Credit Funds and HSBC also participated in the committed financing.
