Public Exits

Altra Holdings Inc., a Quincy, Mass.-based provider of mechanical power transmission and motion control products, priced 10 million common shares at $13.50 per share ($14-$16 range), for an IPO take of approximately $135 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol AIMC, while Merrill Lynch served as lead underwriter. Genstar Capital was listed as Altra’s majority shareholder, with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec also holding a significant stake.

Claymont Steel Holdings Inc. (f.k.a. CitiSteel), a Claymont, Del.-based non-union maker of custom discrete steel plate, priced 8.7 million common shares at $17 per share, for an IPO take of approximately $147.9 million. The number of offered shares was raised for the second time in as many days, as it originally had been upped from 6.25 million to 7.25 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol PLTE, while Jefferies & Co. served as lead underwriter. H.I.G. Capital holds a 99.3% pre-IPO position.

Dayton Superior Corp., a Dayton, Ohio-based concrete forming and shoring rental company, priced 7.85 million common shares at $12 per share ($13-$15 forecast), for an IPO take of approximately $94.2 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol DSUP, while Robert W. Baird & Co. served as lead underwriter. Odyssey Investment Partners remains the company’s majority shareholder.

IPG Photonics Corp., an Oxford, Mass.-based maker of fiber lasers and amplifiers, priced nine million common shares at $16.50 per share ($13.50-$15.50 forecast), for an IPO take of approximately $148.5 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol IPGP, while Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers served as co-lead underwriters. Private equity backers include TA Associates, Merrill Lynch, Apax Partners, Winston Partners, Robertson Stephens and Marconi Ventures.

JPMorgan Partners has agreed to sell around 3.01 million shares of 1-800-Flowers.com (Nasdaq: FLWS) back to the company. The repurchase price is $5.21 per share (7% discount to last Friday’s closing price), or around $15.69 million.

NewStar Financial Inc., a Boston-based provider of debt financing for middle-market businesses, priced 12 million common shares at $17 per share (forecast of 11 million shares at $15-$17), for an IPO take of approximately $204 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol NEWS, while underwriters included Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Wachovia Securities. Shareholders include Capital Z Partners, Corsair Capital, JPMorgan Capital and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc., a Houston, Texas-based owner and operator of LNG receiving/importation terminals on the West Coast of the United States, has filed for a $125 million IPO. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under tickler symbol NSNG, with Citigroup serving as sole underwriter. Shareholders include MatlinPatterson and Ritchie Capital.

Pinnacle Gas Resources Inc., a Sheridan, Wyo.-based onshore natural gas exploration and development company, plans to offer 3.57 million common shares via its proposed IPO. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol PINN, with Friedman Billings Ramsey serving as lead underwriter. Shareholders include DLJ Merchant Banking.

Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd., a China-based manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and modules, priced 12 million American depository shares at $12.50 per share ($11.50-$13.50 forecast), for an IPO take of approximately $150 million. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol SOLF, while Goldman Sachs (Asia) served as lead underwriter. Shareholders include Citigroup Venture Capital, Hony Capital and Good Energies Investments Ltd.US BioEnergy Corp., an Inner Grove Heights, Minn.-based ethanol production company, priced 10 million common shares at $14 per share, for an IPO take of approximately $140 million. It originally had planned to offer 9.4 million shares at between $15 and $17 per share. It is trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol USBE, while UBS and Piper Jaffray served as co-lead underwriters. Shareholders include Capitaline Advisors.

Pacgen Biopharmaceuticals Corp., a Vancouver-based biopharmaceutical company, has raised $7.1 million Canadian dollars ($6.1 million) through an initial public offering on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, according to Taiwan Economic News. The company, founded by a Taiwanese professor, is developing drugs for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and diseases of the immune system. Western Life Sciences Fund LP, managed by Lombard Life Sciences, is a large shareholder in the company.

BigBand Networks Inc. has filed for an initial public offering intended to raise up to $140 million through the sale of common stock, according to Dow Jones. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company sells systems to cable TV companies that support a variety of services, including high-speed data, voice over IP, and digital broadcast TV. Backers listed on the company’s Web site include Cedar Fund, Charles River Ventures, Lauder Partners, Meritech Capital Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and Time Warner Ventures.