MoffettNathanson in Talks to Merge With Investment Firm, Bloomberg Says

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SVB Leerink, the investment arm of SVB Financial Group, looking to expand into media, communications analysis

MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett
MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett (Image credit: JohnStaleyPhoto.com)

 MoffettNathanson LLC, the equities research firm founded by long-time media analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson, is in talks to be bought out by SVB Leerink, a unit of investment firm SVB Financial Group, according to a Bloomberg News report. The deal is said to be in the very early stages of development and could unravel.  

Moffett, a former media analyst at Bernstein Research, formed Moffett Research in May 2013,  and less than two months later added former Nomura Securities and Bernstein colleague Michael Nathanson to the masthead. The firm quickly established a reputation for insightful analysis in the media, communications and internet sectors and in 2018 expanded into the payments and processing space led by former Bernstein analyst and MoffettNathanson partner Lisa Ellis.

Buying MoffettNathanson would be a departure for SVB Leerink, which has focused on the healthcare industry in the past. But the firm has been expanding its horizons lately, hiring nine former UBS Group investment bankers in May to populate its newly former technology investment banking group. 

Moffett declined to comment. SVB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mike Farrell
Mike Farrell

Mike Farrell is senior content producer, finance for Multichannel News/B+C, covering finance, operations and M&A at cable operators and networks across the industry. He joined Multichannel News in September 1998 and has written about major deals and top players in the business ever since. He also writes the On The Money blog, offering deeper dives into a wide variety of topics including, retransmission consent, regional sports networks,and streaming video. In 2015 he won the Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Profile, an in-depth look at the Syfy Network’s Sharknado franchise and its impact on the industry.