Private Equity

Private equity is an asset class in which investors purchase interests in private companies, defined as companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange. Private companies are all around us; and without knowing it, most of us interact with more of them every day than we do public companies. For example, Staples and PetSmart are both large private companies that have private investors.

As public market investors, we have actively observed the shrinking number of public companies over the last few decades. Many companies are choosing to stay private longer — if not forever — allowing much of their meaningful growth to happen while they are privately owned. Our ability to access this market enables our clients to own some of these companies in an important part of their growth lifecycle.

We approach the private markets with the same philosophy that we bring to the public markets, ultimately looking for great long-term businesses with capable management teams, durable growth prospects, and best-in-class products with sustainable competitive advantages.

Access to this asset class can benefit the portfolio of a patient, long-term investor by expanding their opportunity set to hundreds of thousands more companies both in and outside the United States. And HM Payson’s private equity platform allows qualified individuals and institutions to invest in this large universe of private companies in a manner that, consistent with our client-first mentality, keeps clients’ concerns front and center.