private equity

noun2

1. •
   Capital stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public.

   • That company is closely held; its equity is all private equity.
2. •
   An investment fund that specializes in buying companies in order to restructure and then sell them with a profit; the industry comprising such firms.

   • Although private equity is not inherently villainous, the horror stories from past takeovers give the industry a bad name, especially in cases where it assumes the mantle of landlord or hospital owner.