FILE PHOTO: A trader points at a chart on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York in this illustration. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Enfusion, a U.S. software provider for asset managers, is in talks with investment bankers to evaluate options that could include a potential sale, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Chicago-based company, which has a market value of $1.1 billion, decided to interview investment banks in recent weeks after receiving takeover interest from potential suitors including private equity firms, one of the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is confidential.
Enfusion has not launched a sale process yet and it is possible that the company opts to stay independent, the sources added. Enfusion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shares of the company jumped as much as 19% on the news before trading was briefly halted on Friday.
This is not the first time Enfusion has held talks to explore a deal. Reuters reported last year that Enfusion fielded acquisition interest from several potential acquirers, including Francisco Partners, Vista Equity Partners and Irenic Capital Management.
Enfusion, whose customer base comprises mostly hedge funds, provides cloud-based portfolio management and risk systems to investment funds. The company has been attempting to win more business from larger funds and corporations with complex operations, as it has struggled to get a bigger share of revenues from existing customers.
Enfusion's shares, which have been trading in New York since their initial public offering in 2021 and have lost more than 50% of their value since then, were down about 12% from the start of the year until yesterday's close, underperforming the S&P 500 Application Software index that has remained roughly flat, on concerns about its customers cutting spending.
The company reported year-on-year revenue growth of 16% to $49.5 million in its latest quarter, falling short of market expectations.
Investment firms FTV Management Company and ICONIQ Capital collectively own a roughly 50% stake in Enfusion.
Earlier this year, Spruce Point Management took a short position in Enfusion, as the investment firm did not believe the company was a high-quality software provider and said its revenue was at "high risk of misstatement."
(Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York; Additional reporting by David French; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Nick Zieminski)
