Robert W Baird & Co has acquired a minority stake in Canadian alternative asset manager Sagard Holdings Inc, becoming the firm’s first US institutional investor in the process, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Private equity firm PAI Partners has agreed to sell Italian eyewear manufacturer Marcolin to US-based VSP Vision, owner of Marchon, marking the conclusion of a protracted sales process that attracted interest from some of the sector’s biggest players, according to a report by Reuters.

US private equity giant KKR has entered the formal sale process for PRS REIT, the London-listed residential property investor, joining specialist property investor Long Harbour which has already submitted a bid for the business, according to a report by Reuters.

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners is weighing a sale of its stake in Global Loan Agency Services, the London-headquartered debt administration specialist, in a move that could value the company at around £1bn ($1.3bn), according to a report by Reuters.

Advent International is preparing to syndicate the debt package backing its $4.8bn acquisition of most of Reckitt Benckiser’s home-care division, placing a sizeable tranche with a group of relationship banks before opening the deal to institutional investors, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Permira and Blackstone are to acquire a $525m minority stake in Dubai-based real estate classifieds platform Property Finder, marking a significant vote of confidence in the emirate’s property market, according to a report by Reuters.

Patient Square Capital, the healthcare-focused private equity firm founded by former KKR dealmaker Jim Momtazee, is exploring a potential acquisition of Premier Inc, a Charlotte-based healthcare services and technology company, according to a report by Bloomberg.

iCON Infrastructure, via the iCON Infrastructure Partners VII, and iCON Infrastructure Partners VII-B funds, is to acquire a majority shareholding in the Meinhardt Group, a waste management business based in the Rhine-Main region, Germany.

Agilitas Private Equity, a pan-European mid-market private equity firm, has closed the buy-out of Tietoevry Tech Services, a division of Tietoevry, and a leading IT service provider in the Nordic region.