Lightspeed Commerce Likely to Attract PE Suitors, Jefferies Says

With shares down more than 20% this year Lightspeed Commerce Inc. is considering a sale, among other options, with some seeing a private equity takeout as the Canadian payments provider’s best bet.

“PE or Worldpay are the most likely buyers,” Trevor Williams, an analyst at Jefferies wrote in a note to clients, referring to a rival owned by private equity firm GTCR LLC and Fidelity National Information Services Inc.

Williams was unsurprised by Lightspeed’s decision to explore strategic options, first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, given the stock’s recent “lackluster performance,” and the potential to improve the company’s profitability. ...