3. Private equity news

Neil's Morning Brief, Thu Oct 22, 2026

EQT agreed to take QIAGEN private at €46.50 a share in cash.

That's a 40.3% premium to the price before takeover reports, valuing the company at about €10.8B in enterprise value (about $12.1B). ADIA and CPP Investments are co-investors. Both QIAGEN boards back the deal, and closing is expected in mid-2027 (QIAGEN/EQT release).

Platinum Equity agreed to buy a majority stake in Trime, an Italian maker of mobile lighting towers, generators and security towers. Terms weren't disclosed, and closing is expected by early 2027 (Platinum Equity release, PR Newswire).

Brightstar Capital Partners took a majority stake in Material Handling Group USA, a technician-led provider of material handling equipment and aftermarket services in Michigan, New York and the Mid-Atlantic. Terms weren't disclosed, and Brightstar says it plans to bring AI to technician onboarding, diagnostics and service dispatch (Brightstar release, Business Wire).