Man Group to buy hedge fund business

Man Group is set to pay up to 142.8 million dollars for FRM Holdings, a global hedge fund research and investment specialist.

Man and FRM's combined multi-manager business will have total funds under management of approximately $19bn, making it the largest independent non-US based fund of hedge funds.

The hedge fund will pay nothing up front, instead with will pay a maximum of $82.8m in cash, net of total net assets it acquires.

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Dependent on asset retention, it will also pay out a 47.5% share of performance fees attributable to FRM's existing funds under management over three years, up to $60.8m.

"By combining the complementary investor bases of the two businesses and pairing FRM's well regarded investment process with Man's managed accounts infrastructure, we can increase revenues with no material change to Man's current cost base," said Man's Chief Executive Peter Clarke.

"The transaction has been structured so that the consideration adjusts in line with asset retention, to ensure an attractive return for our shareholders."

The company said that the deal would achieve cost savings of $45m a year from operational synergies in the combined group, which in turn would generate double digit growth to Man's adjusted management fee EPS in 2013.

The internal rate of return from the acquisition is expected to be well in excess of Man's cost of capital, it said.