| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment banking |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder(s) | Joel Cohen Herald "Hal" Ritch |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Products | Mergers & Acquisitions, Fairness opinions, Restructuring advisory |
| Employees | 110+ |
| Website | www.sagentadvisors.com |
Sagent Advisors is an independent investment bank specializing in mergers & acquisitions advisory services. The firm focuses on transactions in the several core industry sectors: consumer & retail, energy & power, financial institutions & managed care, industrial, media & telecommunications, packaging, transportation, IT services & outsourcing, enterprise software and internet & digital media. The firm also has an active private equity financial sponsor coverage business.
Sagent was founded by Joel Cohen and Herald "Hal" Ritch, former co-heads of global mergers and acquisitions for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. In March 2009, co-founder, Joel Cohen, retired from the firm.[1] The firm was backed with capital from venture capital investment firm GRP Partners, which holds a minority equity stake in the firm. In 2007, Sagent sold a 20% minority stake in the firm to Daiwa Securities, a Japanese financial institution.[2][3]
The firm, which is based at 299 Park Avenue in New York, was founded in 2004. In April 2009, Sagent opened additional domestic offices in Charlotte, San Francisco and Chicago, recruiting several industry focused teams from leading investment banks.[4] During the financial crisis of 2007–2010, Sagent and other boutique firms, have been active in recruiting investment bankers from larger integrated banks.[5]