IPOs for established companies like Dunkin Donuts, Cold Stone Creamery and Pinkberry, as well as LinkedIn, are in the cards, according to a list of predictions released by DJ today.
Rob Armstrong, senior columnist for Dow Jones Investment Banker, said that hiring a new CEO is a key step for a pre-IPO company and noted LinkedIn has brought in Yahoo and Warner Bros. vet Jeff Weiner.
Johnson & Johnson spin-off Mead Johnson and motorcycle icon Harley Davidson are ripe takeover targets this year, according to the DJ journos.Harley-Davidson's decline in sales and net income could put it in play as an acquisition target, forecasts senior columnist Ed Tan. A private equity firm or Middle Eastern or Asian sovereign wealth fund could make a run at Harley or its Italian MV Agusta division, he said.
Cold Stone Creamery, if not headed for an IPO, could be on the block this year, along with medical health record company Allscripts, according to the forecast. Armstrong thinks healthcare players like Cerner, McKesson and GE will e looking at Allscripts as the sector moves to digital medical records.
DJ Investment Banker columnist Sameer Bhatia said Cold Stone could be acquired by its partner in 65 stores, Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee chain.
DJ columnist Lisa Lee said Six Flags could be up for sale in 2010 as it's entangled in a reorganization fight between senior lenders, bondholders and directors. A private equity firm like Blackstone could see it as attractive after bankruptcy.
In the drug sector, Bausch & Lomb could be sold for more than $6B, said Armstrong, as the company is seen as attractive two years after it was taken private following a major recall of contact lens solution. Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxomithKline and J&J might see it as attractive, he added.