Springer Nature, the publisher of renowned journals such as Nature and Scientific American, has announced plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The IPO, expected to be completed by the end of the year, will include a 200 million euro ($220 million) capital increase and the sale of existing shares. Currently, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group and BC Partners hold 53% and 47% stakes in the company, respectively.

The company also plans to distribute a dividend of 25 million euros ($27.5 million) this year, with future annual dividends set at around 50% of adjusted net income. The IPO could value Springer Nature at up to 9 billion euros ($10 billion), including debt. Proceeds from the listing will be used to reduce the company's debt and optimize its financing structure. The financial leverage ratio has already been reduced from 4.6 times in 2019 to 2.9 times.

CEO Frank Vrancken Peeters highlighted strong investor momentum, which provides BC Partners an opportunity to exit its investment. The secondary structure of the deal, involving the placement of existing shares from BC Partners' holdings, will be determined later, according to CFO Alexandra Dambeck.

Springer Nature's IPO will be closely monitored by other companies planning listings in Europe, following successful offerings from Swiss skincare firm Galderma and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners this year. Leading the IPO are Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan, with BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, Goldman Sachs, and UniCredit as bookrunners.

The company had previously postponed its IPO plans in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Springer Nature reported group revenues of 1.85 billion euros and an adjusted operating profit of 511 million euros.