NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Roth Capital Partners, LLC today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of MKM Partners, LLC, an institutional equity trading, sales and research firm headquartered in Stamford, CT. The combined organization will employ over 235 individuals, with approximately 60 investment bankers, 45 research analysts, more than 75 distribution professionals specializing in the markets, 550+ stocks under coverage, 14 offices across North America, one of the largest trading floors in the U.S., and capabilities in all major equity business lines.
Once the transaction is completed, Byron Roth will become Executive Chairman and Sagar Sheth, MKM’s current Chief Executive Officer, will be named CEO. In addition, Aaron Gurewitz will be President of the combined entity.
“We are excited to welcome MKM’s employees, platform, and culture into the ROTH family,” said Byron Roth. “This transaction marks an important milestone for ROTH as we add MKM’s expertise in market research and trading services to our investment banking platform. MKM shares our commitment to establishing long-term relationships with issuers and institutional investors, by providing value-added services to our clients. We are truly looking forward to working with Sagar Sheth, Michael Darda, and the entire MKM team as we advance the resources of our firm.”
ROTH, headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, focuses on capital markets, research, institutional sales, investor conferences, and corporate access, raising $100 billion for small and mid-cap public companies over the past 30 years. MKM, based in Stamford CT, was founded in 2001 by Thomas Messina and Steven Messina, who are thrilled to be joining the combined organization in Trading and New Business Development roles, respectively. The firm has grown significantly with an emphasis on trading, research, sales, derivatives, event driven/risk arbitrage, proprietary studies, corporate access, and high yield/credit.
“The transaction with ROTH will provide catalysts and resources that will deepen our ability to provide market intelligence and strategies to our clients. The foundation of the transaction represents our focus of unlocking a number of revenue opportunities while benefitting from the complementary workforces of both firms. We look forward to growing the business in the U.S. and globally, as well as creating a number of opportunities for our professionals, partners, and clients,” said Sagar Sheth, CEO of MKM Partners.
The transaction is subject to FINRA and other regulatory approvals.
Houlihan Lokey, Inc. acted as financial advisor and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP acted as legal advisor to MKM. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acted as financial advisor and DLA Piper LLP acted as legal advisor to ROTH.
About Roth Capital Partners
ROTH is a relationship-driven investment bank focused on serving growth companies and their investors. As a full-service investment bank, ROTH provides capital raising, M&A advisory, research, trading, market-making services and corporate access. Headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, ROTH is privately-held and employee owned, and maintains offices throughout the U.S. For more information on ROTH, please visit www.roth.com.
About MKM Partners
MKM Partners, LLC is an institutional equity research, sales and trading firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Austin. MKM combines high-impact fundamental analysis with macroeconomics, technical insights, derivatives strategies, event-driven commentary, alternative research, and execution. With over 1000 institutional clients the firm has trade execution abilities in both global equity markets and in U.S. options markets. For more information on MKM, please visit www.mkmpartners.com.
