Prospera leaps into the acquisition game with Dorsey deal

With just two deals under its belt after nearly 40 years in the business, the $16 billion Dallas broker-dealer and RIA is ready to become more active in the M&A space.

Dallas-based Prospera Financial Group has completed just two acquisitions in its 39-year history, but sees more deals in its future following the addition of New Orleans-based Dorsey & Co. on Dec. 3.

Dorsey, which has $1.4 billion under management and 16 advisers, will operate as an independent branch office, maintaining its brand, while benefitting from the scale offered by Prospera, which has more than $16 billion under management and 160 advisers.

As a firm operating as both a registered investment adviser and a broker-dealer, Prospera has experienced plenty of growth by recruiting teams of breakaway advisers but has mostly passed on the M&A trend sweeping across wealth management.

That’s likely to change, said Tim Edwards, co-chief executive at Prospera.

“I do see this as really the beginning of a new stage of growth for us,” Edwards said. “The timing is right, and we do have a pipeline of other opportunities.”

Founded in 1959, Dorsey developed a solid reputation as manager of fixed-income portfolios, which is an area Edwards expects to leverage for Prospera clients.

“The firm is a perfect complement to ours, further enhancing Prospera’s distinctive value proposition and vision, which allows advisers to define their brand, chart their own success story and, ultimately, thrive,” he said. “As we continue to grow the firm and welcome new financial advisers through recruiting and acquisitions, we will not stray from what has made us so special up to this point.”