Investment firm WisdomTree breaks into the private market space, collaborating with Ceres Partners.
WisdomTree Enters Private Asset Markets with Acquisition of Ceres Partners
In a significant move, WisdomTree, Inc., a global financial innovator, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Ceres Partners, LLC, a leading U.S.-based alternative asset manager specializing in farmland investments. The acquisition, expected to close in Q4 2025, subject to approvals, financing, and other customary closing conditions, marks WisdomTree's entry into the private asset markets, specifically farmland.
The U.S. farmland market remains steady in 2025, with farmland prices generally stable and showing a compound annual growth rate of about 5% over the past five years. Supply-demand dynamics—high demand from producers, investors, and non-traditional buyers combined with limited supply—are key drivers maintaining farmland values.
The acquisition is part of WisdomTree's long-term strategy to build the next-generation asset management platform. Goodwin Procter LLP is acting as legal counsel to WisdomTree in the acquisition, while Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP is acting as legal counsel to Ceres Partners. Berkshire Global Advisors is serving as financial advisor to WisdomTree in the acquisition.
Ceres Partners, founded by Perry Vieth, has a strong track record of performance, having delivered a 10.3% net average annual total return since its inception in 2007. Vieth stated that the partnership brings product innovation, scale, and distribution that will allow them to reach more investors seeking resilient, inflation-hedged, and income-generating real assets.
The upfront cash consideration for the acquisition of Ceres Partners is $275 million, subject to adjustments. An earn-out consideration of up to $225 million is contingent on Ceres' compound annual revenue growth of 12-22% over five years.
With the acquisition, WisdomTree will manage approximately $1.85 billion in assets under management across approximately 545 U.S. farmland properties spanning 12 states. The Ceres farmland platform benefits from opportunities in strategic adjacencies in demand for solar, AI data infrastructure, and water.
The acquisition aims to accelerate WisdomTree's overall margin expansion trajectory and double base fee revenue, as well as grow performance fee revenue by 1.5x-2x. Access to the earnings call can be found at https://ir.wisdomtree.com/.
As WisdomTree, Inc. continues to grow and innovate, this acquisition is a testament to their commitment to offering clients institutional access to a highly differentiated set of exposures across both public and private markets. The partnership with Ceres Partners is set to bring about exciting opportunities in the farmland sector and beyond.
- WisdomTree's strategic acquisition of Ceres Partners, a leading real-estate manager specializing in farmland investments, signifies their foray into the private asset markets, which includes business sectors like investing and finance.
- The acquisition of Ceres Partners is expected to grow WisdomTree's assets under management in real-estate, particularly farmland, by approximately $1.85 billion, providing opportunities for investing in strategic adjacencies like solar, AI data infrastructure, and water.
