When it comes to Wall Street wizards who have an active pulse on broadcast media, there are perhaps no two more-attuned analysts than Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson. Over the last several years, their MoffettNathanson has served as a leading voice of how media companies are performing and trending.
Soon, their equity research firm will be a sibling to Silicon Valley Bank.
SVB Financial Group, the parent of Silicon Valley Bank, on Monday confirmed that it has acquired New York-based MoffettNathanson, an independent sell-side research firm known for its coverage of the Media, Communications and Technology sectors.
“The acquisition enables SVB’s investment banking business, SVB Leerink, to expand its research coverage to include companies in both the healthcare and technology industries,” SVB explains.
SVB’s entities include the private banking and wealth management-focused SVB Private Bank, and funds management and investment firm SVB Capital.
“The MoffettNathanson team has built an incredible reputation as a leader in equity research,” SVB Financial President/CEO Greg Becker said. “The addition of technology equity research is another important step in further solidifying our place as the essential partner to innovation economy clients.”
Since its founding in 2013, MoffettNathanson has been considered the standard-bearer for technology equity research. As the firm has grown, it has added coverage of the Media, Communications, Internet, Fintech, Software and Services sectors.
“Insight into the innovation economy is absolutely critical to understanding the sectors we cover,” said Moffett. “SVB’s deep relationships with the world’s leading innovators will not only bring our clients unique opportunities to participate in the value creation cycle of earlier-stage growth companies, they will also provide our analysts with unique insights into the competitive forces that will shape the destinies of the largest companies in our coverage universe.”
It was not immediately known if Moffett or Nathanson will be staying on under SVB ownership. However, it is a possibility. On August 17, 2020, New York-based global investment bank Houlihan Lokey acquired San Francisco-based MVP Capital, home to veteran media brokers Elliot Evers and Bill Fanning. At Houlihan Lokey, Evers will serve as Senior Advisor; Fanning takes the title of Managing Director.
