Southport Lane Management, a private equity fund manager based in New York, has agreed to invest USD20m to support the continued expansion of the Capital Guardian wealth management business. Capital Guardian was selected by Southport Lane for its combination of strong management, global platform, and focus on the adviser experience. The investment will expand Southport Lane’s global asset management footprint. Alan Boyer, chief executive of Capital Guardian, says: “We are excited to partner with a group whose key individuals have deep roots in the wealth management sector and truly understand the challenges facing our industry. Furthermore, they have demonstrated the

Private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management is to sell its stake in Freedom Group, the manufacturer of the AR-15 rifle used in the attack at a primary school in Newtown, Connecticut last week that left 20 children and seven adults dead. Affiliates of Cerberus made their investment in Freedom Group back in 2006, but the firm has bowed to pressure to sell from several large institutional investors, including the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). In a statement Cerberus said that the “tragedy was a watershed event” and that while it was not the firm’s role to “attempt to shape

Alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group has completed the sale of Metaldyne, a manufacturer of metal-based components for light vehicle engine, transmission and driveline systems, to an affiliate of American Securities. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Carlyle Strategic Partners II, a USD1.35bn distressed investment fund, led a group of creditors in the purchase of Metaldyne in October 2009, and partnered with Metaldyne’s management on the company’s successful recovery. Since Carlyle’s acquisition, Metaldyne has grown revenue by approximately 70 per cent and employment by approximately 30 per cent. Michael Stewart, Carlyle managing director and co-head of Carlyle

Energy group Winch Energy has invested in Sicily-based energy trader Onda Energy and its subsidiary Energit, based in Sardinia. The Onda Energy Group is the largest gas and electricity broker in both Sicily and Sardinia, with some 35,000 commercial customers in Sicily, Sardinia and Italy. The combined group has turnover of over EUR100m and employs some 100 people. The acquisition will give the Onda Group access to significant funding to grow its activities and strengthen its balance sheet. Winch Energy will bring its expertise in solar PV and LED lighting to the Onda Group and expects to roll out funded

Private equity firm TA Associates has completed a majority investment in DigiCert, a provider of enterprise security solutions. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Founded in 2003, DigiCert provides online authentication and encryption services primarily through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates to companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and educational and medical institutions worldwide. SSL protocol enables applications to transmit information securely. DigiCert is the world’s third largest issuer of high-assurance certificates, serving more than 60,000 clients in 176 countries. The company is headquartered in Lindon, Utah. “DigiCert offers a compelling value proposition to its customers,” says Jason P Werlin,

Moonray Healthcare has acquired Lexum, a provider of ophthalmology in Czech Republic and Poland. The deal will see a phased transfer of ownership from current investors ARX Equity Partners and founder Professor Martin Filipec, who will remain with the group. Lexum operates 10 hospitals across Central Europe including the European Eye Centre, a new 2,500 square metre flagship eye hospital in Prague. Moonray Healthcare intends to combine the group with Optegra, its UK based eye hospital group which operates 11 specialist hospitals across England and Germany. Together the group will annually perform more than 40,000 surgical procedures and be one

Silverfleet Capital, the European private equity firm, has acquired La Fée Maraboutée, a French wholesaler and retailer of women’s fashion, for EUR65m. The founder of the company and its joint-chief executives are also making a significant investment alongside Silverfleet Capital.   Founded in 1996 in Roanne, which is located west of Lyon, by its founder and current head designer, Jean-Pierre Braillard, La Fée Maraboutée is a women’s fashion brand that is distributed by 1,700 French and international wholesale partners, as well as a store network of 90 outlets including 35 own and affiliate stores and 55 franchise stores (37 of

GI Partners, a middle market private equity firm, has acquired a data centre and office building in San Diego. The investment was made through DataCore, a fully discretionary core real estate fund managed by GI Partners that was launched earlier this year with the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). CalSTRS created DataCore as a core investment vehicle to invest in technology-focused real estate in the US, including data centres, internet gateways, corporate campuses for technology tenants and life science properties located in primary MSAs and leased to industry leading tenants. This is the first investment for the DataCore fund.