Australian vehicle leasing and management company SG Fleet has entered exclusive negotiations with Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) following a takeover proposal from the private equity firm that values the company at around AUD1.2bn (US780.1m).

Vista Equity Partners has sold an $800m minority stake in LogicMonitor, a SaaS-based hybrid observability platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to a consortium of investors including PSG, Golub Capital, and others.

Private investment major Apollo Global Management has acquired a majority stake in The State Group (TSG), a provider of electrical, mechanical, and automation services, as part of its Impact and Clean Transition investment strategy.

Unilever has scrapped plans to sell its €15bn ice cream division, which includes the Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, and Wall’s brands, to private equity firms, opting instead to spin off the business into a separate publicly listed company, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Private equity firm Cinven is to make a majority investment in Grant Thornton UK, one of the leading diversified professional services firms offering audit, tax, and advisory services in the UK, with the firm’s UK Partners retaining a significant holding in the business.

Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising mid-market companies, has acquired NSI Industries, a provided of branded products for the electrical and HVAC markets, from PE firm Odyssey Investment Partners.

Drone manufacturer AeroVironment is to acquire BlueHalo, a defence and space technology firm primarily owned by private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners, in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $4.1bn, according to a report by Reuters.