EQT hires Morgan Stanley to explore sale for Idealista, sources say

By Amy-Jo Crowley and Andres Gonzalez

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - EQT has hired Morgan Stanley to explore a sale of Spanish property website Idealista, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Idealista could be valued at around 2.5 billion euros ($2.69 billion) including debt in a sale, a third person said.

The process is in the early stages and the Swedish private equity owner is expected to progress with an auction in the second half of the year, the three people said.

The sources cautioned that a deal is not certain and asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential.

EQT and Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

EQT bought a majority stake in Madrid-based Idealista in 2020 from private equity firm Apax Partners and management, valuing the company at about 1.3 billion euros. Management, led by founder and CEO Jesús Encinar, maintain stakes in the company while private equity funds Oakley Capital and Apax also hold minority stakes.

Potential buyers could include private equity investors as well as European and international property classified companies looking to expand in southern Europe, the third person said.

Founded in 2000, Idealista operates in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and allows real estate agents to advertise their properties in exchange for a recurring subscription fee. It also provides online advertising, mortgage brokerage and data analytics services for real estate agents.

Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias said in January that the Spanish company had refinanced 300 million euros of debt, pushing its debt maturity to 2029 to facilitate a sale.

Under EQT’s ownership Idealista has acquired Italian competitor Casa.it and proptech Inmovilla.

($1 = 0.9286 euros) (Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley and Andres Gonzalez. Editing by Anousha Sakoui and Susan Fenton)