Kekst and Company led PR firms advising private equity deals in the first quarter as the firm worked 11 transactions, according to the Deal.
Kekst, which repped four target or seller companies and seven acquirers or bidders, was followed by Sard Verbinnen & Co. with 10 deals and an even split of five targets and five acquirers.
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher and Owen Blicksilver PR handled nine deals apiece, while Brunswick Group was involved in eight and Abernathy MacGregor Group took part in four.
The Deal said it is tracking the "advisory class" of law firms, investment banks and PR counsel in private equity deals for the first time as the sector has evolved from large club deals taking companies private to more strategic transactions.
Kirkland & Ellis led law firms, while Barclays Capital was the top investment banks.
The Deal said advisers expected the PE transaction numbers to rise amid better peformance in financial markets in the second quarter.
Edelman handles Viking Holdings, the river and ocean luxury cruise line that plans to raise $1B via an IPO priced in the $21 to $25 per share range.
Teneo is handling the initial public offering of CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity firms with nearly $200B in assets under management.
Brunswick Group represents Endeavor Group Holdings as it agrees to go private via its acquisition by Silver Lake technology investment firm, which is handled by Edelman Smithfield.
Tod Donhauser, a nine-year veteran of Edelman, has joined H/Advisors Abernathy as managing director and head of its San Francisco office.
Intelligent Group Ltd, a Hong Kong-based financial PR firm, has priced its initial public offering of 1.9M shares at $4, which is the low end of the $4 to $5 range.
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