Advent International-backed NIQ Global Intelligence has raised $1.05bn in its US initial public offering, pricing 50 million shares at $21 each – the midpoint of its marketed $20-$24 range, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The offering values the consumer intelligence firm at approximately $6.2bn on a non-diluted basis, and $6.3bn fully diluted.
The IPO marks a key liquidity event for Advent, which acquired the former Nielsen consumer data division in 2021 for $2.7bn alongside industry veteran Jim Peck, now CEO and chairman of NIQ. Other backers include KKR and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions.
Proceeds from the listing will be used to reduce NIQ’s $4.3bn debt load. The company reported adjusted EBITDA of $740.7m in 2024, with a Q1 2025 net loss of $73.7m on revenue of $966m.
Since the carve-out, NIQ has executed a strategic transformation, investing $400m in tech, streamlining operations, and completing nine acquisitions – including one in the core consumer intelligence space. Cost reductions have trimmed the company’s expense base by over 20%.
NIQ aggregates data from a mix of retail point-of-sale systems, consumer panels (totalling over 5.5 million participants), and partnerships with e-commerce and loyalty platforms. The firm has adopted AI to automate its analytics infrastructure and maintains strategic tech partnerships with Microsoft and Snowflake.
The IPO is being led by JP Morgan, BofA Securities, UBS, Barclays, and RBC Capital Markets. Shares will trade on the NYSE under the ticker NIQ, with underwriters holding a 30-day option to purchase an additional 7.5 million shares.
NIQ’s debut adds momentum to a slowly recovering US IPO market, which has raised $16.6bn so far in 2025 – slightly behind the same period last year, according to Bloomberg data.
