PE firms said to be circling NCC Group's Escode business

(Sharecast News) - Private equity firms are reportedly circling one of the main subsidiaries of cybersecurity firm NCC Group. According to Sky News, Montagu Private Equity and Bridgepoint are among the buyout firms interested in bidding for Escode, which specialises in software escrow and verification services.

City sources told Sky a deal for Escode could be worth between £300m and £400m, while NCC Group's entire market capitalisation on Monday afternoon was just over £440m.

Several other private equity firms were also said to be interested, although a formal auction is not under way and the identities of the other parties was unclear.

At 1615 BST, NCC shares were up 4.3% at 146.20p.

The buyout firms' interest in Escode follows a string of reviews by NCC about potential disposals.

In January last year, the group said its board had "decided not to restart the strategic review of Escode at this juncture", while other parts of the company have also been the subject of exploratory discussions with possible buyers.