Advent-backed NIQ enters US IPO lineup as listings pick up pace

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(Reuters) -Consumer insights company NIQ Global filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Friday, more than four years after it was spun out of media analytics giant Nielsen Holdings.

NIQ, which is backed by investment giants Advent International and KKR, joins a growing number of companies preparing to list their shares as the U.S. IPO market stirs back to life following a dry spell.

A spate of strong debuts recently, including by stablecoin giant Circle and debt collector Jefferson Capital, could potentially set NIQ up for a warm market welcome.

Investor sentiment towards equities is also improving. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq indexes hit record closing highs on Friday [.N].

NIQ’s filing also signals that private equity owners are starting to test the IPO market to cash out of some investments, as stocks regain some stability following disruptions due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The company has about 23,000 clients, including Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Sony. It is led by Jim Peck, the former CEO of credit information company TransUnion.

NIQ delivers insights on consumer shopping behavior that brands and retailers use to fine-tune their products and strategies.

The company’s revenue was $965.9 million for the three months ended March 31, up slightly from a year earlier. Net loss attributable to NIQ narrowed to $73.7 million, from $173.9 million a year ago.

Proceeds from the IPO will be used to repay some debt and for other general corporate purposes, NIQ said. Circana and YouGov are some of its competitors.

NIQ expects to list on the NYSE, under the symbol “NIQ”. J.P. Morgan, BofA Securities and UBS Investment Bank are among the underwriters for the IPO.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)