Springer Science Sale Said to Be Delayed as Buyers Balk at Price

The sale of Springer Science & Business Media, the German academic publisher, was postponed by Sweden’s EQT Partners AB after potential buyers balked at the asking price, according to people familiar with the talks.

EQT, the private-equity firm that bought the company jointly with the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. in 2009, had been seeking offers of 3 billion euros ($4 billion) to 4 billion euros, said the people, who asked not to be identified because talks are private. The auction, scheduled to start this month, and initial public offering preparations have been put on hold as EQT reviews its options for the business, they said.