Dun & Bradstreet confirms takeover interest, hires Bank of America to evaluate offers

(Reuters) - Dun & Bradstreet said it has received "inbound interest" and was working with Bank of America to evaluate the inquiries, days after a report that the data and analytics provider was exploring options including a potential sale.

The company said on Monday that the interest was from third parties, but did not provide any further details.

Dun & Bradstreet was working with investment bankers at Bank of America to evaluate takeover interest from potential buyers, which include private equity firms, Reuters reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The data and analytics provider's shares closed at $11.82 on Friday, highest in more than six months, giving the company a market value of more than $5 billion.

Dun & Bradstreet, which traces its origins to 1841, is one of Wall Street's oldest data and analytics providers. It currently serves about 135,000 businesses, including 90% of the Fortune 500 companies, according to its website.

The company went public in New York in 2020, less than two years after an investor consortium led by CC Capital, Cannae and Thomas H. Lee Partners took it private.

(Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)