Clearlake acquires Dun & Bradstreet in $7.7bn transaction

June 2025 | DEALFRONT | PRIVATE EQUITY & VENTURE CAPITAL

Financier Worldwide Magazine

June 2025 Issue

In a deal that concludes its time as a public company, business information and research provider Dun & Bradstreet is to be acquired by private equity firm Clearlake Capital for $7.7bn, including outstanding debt.

Under the terms of the definitive 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.

The purchase price will be funded by Clearlake with a combination of equity and debt financing. The agreement also provides for a ‘go shop’ period of 30 days, during which Dun & Bradstreet will actively solicit, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with and provide due diligence access to parties that submit alternative proposals.

Moreover, the company has the right to terminate the agreement and enter into a superior proposal, subject to the conditions and procedures specified in the merger agreement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Upon completion of the transaction, Dun & Bradstreet will become a privately held company and shares of Dun & Bradstreet common stock will no longer be listed on any public market.

“We have been on a strategic journey over the last six years, executing a major transformation that has strengthened our business and financial results,” said Anthony Jabbour, chief executive of Dun & Bradstreet. “With the support of Clearlake, we look forward to evolving and growing the company with new ways to put our trusted, proprietary and mission-critical data assets to work for our clients.”

A leading provider of business decisioning data and analytics, Dun & Bradstreet enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Its data cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk and transform their businesses.

According to Mr Jabbour, the company has grown its revenue by approximately 40 percent, its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation by 60 percent, expanded its margins by nearly 600 basis points and reduced its leverage from nine times to 3.6 times – all while extending its lead in data breadth, depth and quality.

“Dun & Bradstreet has built a trusted, globally recognised brand and has amassed a preeminent set of data and analytics that empower organisations of all sizes,” said Behdad Eghbali, co-founder and managing partner at Clearlake. “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.”

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to Dun & Bradstreet shareholder approval, regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions.

Serving as financial adviser to Dun & Bradstreet is BofA Securities, with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP serving as legal counsel.

Advisers 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 financing for the transaction. Sidley Austin LLP is serving as legal counsel to Clearlake.

James Pade, a partner at Clearlake, concluded: “We are excited to partner with Mr Jabbour and his team at Dun & Bradstreet to support the company in unlocking its full potential.”

Fraser Tennant