Why would a company want to go private, rather than stay public?

Again, if a company feels the market doesn't value its shares properly, it may find going private appealing. Mr. Peterson also says heightened corporate governance plays a role: Some corporate executives want to escape the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which beefed up financial-reporting requirements and, some executives have complained, added steep compliance costs, especially for smaller companies. Before Sarbanes-Oxley, companies were less receptive to offers from buyout artists, Mr. Peterson says.  more