Apollo Wraps Up Bridge Buyout, Expands Real Estate Platform

Apollo Global Management, Inc. APO has completed its previously announced acquisition of Bridge Investment Group Holdings Inc. The all-stock transaction, valued at $1.5 billion, was announced in February 2025.

The acquisition provides Apollo with immediate scale in real estate equity and enhances its origination capabilities across secular growth areas. Founded in 2009, Bridge manages approximately $50 billion in assets across residential, industrial, and niche real estate verticals.

David Sambur, partner and co-head of equity at Apollo, stated “Completing the acquisition of Bridge marks an important step for Apollo’s real estate business, providing immediate scale in real estate equity and strengthening our ability to originate across secular growth areas of the market. Bridge has built an incredible organization with deep investment talent, specialized operating expertise and strong investor relationships.”

Now, Bridge will operate as a platform company within Apollo’s asset management business, retaining its existing brand, management and investment teams, along with a dedicated capital formation team. Its common stock has ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Financial Details of APO Deal

Under the terms of the agreement, Bridge stockholders and Bridge OpCo unitholders are entitled to receive 0.07081 shares of Apollo stock for every Bridge Class A common share and Bridge OpCo Class A common unit, respectively, with both valued at $11.50.

The transaction is expected to be accretive to Apollo’s fee-related earnings and nearly doubles its real estate assets under management (AUM) to over $110 billion. Bridge’s integration will further strengthen Apollo’s hybrid and equity offerings, particularly for institutional and wealth clients.

APO’s Prior Efforts to Grow Inorganically

Apollo has been on an expansion drive through acquisitions and partnerships. In January 2025, it announced the acquisition of Argo Infrastructure Partners to boost infrastructure capabilities. In 2024, the company formed strategic alliances with Citigroup and State Street to expand private credit and broaden wealth access opportunities. In November 2024, Apollo extended its multi-billion-dollar partnership with Mubadala Investment Company, bolstering global origination opportunities across asset classes.

These inorganic growth initiatives, backed by Apollo’s robust liquidity, are expected to accelerate long-term AUM growth and support its goal of scaling total AUM to $1.5 trillion by 2029.

APO’s Zacks Rank & Price Performance

Over the past year, Apollo shares have gained 20.9% compared with the industry’s rise of 18.4%.

Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Inorganic Growth Efforts by Other Finance Firms

Last month, Fifth Third Bancorp FITB acquired DTS Connex as part of the broader strategy to leverage technology and innovation. The acquisition enhances FITB’s capabilities in cash logistics, infrastructure, and risk management within its Commercial Payments business

DTS Connex’s advanced technology caters to the needs of businesses seeking more efficient, transparent, and controlled cash logistics management. By acquiring DTS Connex, FITB will streamline cash operations and foster deeper collaboration across the cash ecosystem through advanced data sharing. This move reinforces the company’s broader strategy to leverage technology and innovation, offering more integrated and advanced service solutions for clients.

In July 2025, Huntington Bancshares HBAN announced a definitive agreement to acquire Veritex Holdings, Inc., a bank holding company headquartered in Dallas, TX. The all-stock transaction is valued at $1.9 billion.

Upon completion of the deal, which is expected in the early fourth quarter of 2025, Veritex branches and teams will operate under the Huntington Bank brand. Further, HBAN plans to maintain Veritex's existing branch network across Texas markets, including Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, and invest to expand it over time.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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