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, aiming to complete the process by the end of the year. The IPO 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 expected to be around 50% of adjusted net income. Reuters previously reported that the IPO could value Springer Nature at up to 9 billion euros ($10 billion), including debt.

Proceeds from the IPO will be used to reduce the company's debt and optimize its financial structure. Springer Nature's financial leverage ratio has already improved, dropping from 4.6 times in 2019 to 2.9 times currently. CEO Frank Vrancken Peeters noted 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 finalized later, according to CFO Alexandra Dambeck. The IPO will be closely monitored by other companies planning listings in Europe, following successful offerings from firms like Galderma and CVC Capital Partners this year.

Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan are leading the IPO, with BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, Goldman Sachs, and UniCredit also involved as bookrunners. Springer Nature had previously postponed its IPO plans in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the company reported group revenues of 1.85 billion euros and an adjusted operating profit of 511 million euros.