WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE: WT), a leading global financial innovator and asset management firm, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Ceres Partners, LLC, a respected U.S.-based alternative asset manager specializing in farmland investments. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for WisdomTree, representing its formal entry into the expansive and growing private asset market—beginning with a focus on farmland and real estate assets. The acquisition strengthens WisdomTree’s ambitions to become a diversified asset management platform, blending traditional and alternative investment strategies to meet evolving investor demands.
Through this acquisition, WisdomTree is positioning itself at the forefront of a long-term structural opportunity: institutional access to farmland as a real asset class that delivers inflation protection, income generation, and portfolio diversification. Ceres Partners currently manages approximately $1.85 billion in assets across a portfolio of roughly 545 farmland properties located in 12 U.S. states, with a primary concentration in the Midwest. The scale and quality of this portfolio provide an immediate foundation for WisdomTree’s private market ambitions.
Founded in 2007, Ceres Partners has consistently outperformed industry benchmarks, delivering a 10.3% net average annual total return since inception. This performance is a testament to its robust underwriting, local farming relationships, and operational expertise. Moreover, the firm is well-positioned to capitalize on growing adjacencies beyond traditional agricultural land use—including solar energy deployment, AI data center infrastructure, and water resource management—all of which are expected to significantly accelerate the platform’s long-term growth potential.
Farmland: A Resilient and Undervalued Asset Class
Farmland represents one of the largest yet most underutilized real asset categories in the United States. Despite its scale and historical performance, institutional and retail penetration remains relatively low. According to WisdomTree, this asset class aligns perfectly with the growing investor appetite for private market solutions that offer inflation protection, resilience during economic downturns, and low correlation to equities and fixed income instruments.
“Farmland is one of the largest yet most underpenetrated real asset classes in the U.S., offering both scale and scarcity,” said Jonathan Steinberg, Founder and CEO of WisdomTree. “This acquisition expands our leadership in innovative, income-generating investment solutions, while strategically accelerating our entry into private markets with a high-quality, scalable platform.”
He continued, “It reflects our commitment to delivering differentiated exposures that drive long-term value for clients and stockholders alike. This strategic acquisition now positions WisdomTree to capitalize on the most significant structural growth opportunities in wealth and asset management today: exchange-traded products (ETPs), private markets, managed model portfolios, and tokenization.”
A Complementary and Future-Ready Partnership
Ceres Partners brings to WisdomTree not only a high-performing investment platform but also a deeply entrenched network of farming relationships and operational depth in U.S. agricultural markets. The firm has earned a reputation for aligning long-term capital with farming operations in a way that preserves soil health, encourages sustainability, and enhances productivity.
Perry Vieth, Founder and CEO of Ceres Partners, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are proud of Ceres’ long-standing partnerships and legacy with farmers. Joining forces with WisdomTree marks an exciting new chapter for us. For nearly two decades, we’ve built a differentiated farmland investment platform rooted in performance, operational expertise, and a deep understanding of U.S. agriculture.”
“This partnership brings product innovation, scale, and distribution that will allow us to reach more investors seeking resilient, inflation-hedged, and income-generating real assets,” Vieth added. “Together, we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the next wave of growth in farmland—including solar, AI data infrastructure, and water—with a shared commitment to innovation and long-term value creation.”
Strategic Goals Through 2030
With this acquisition, WisdomTree is laying out ambitious strategic goals that extend through the end of the decade. By 2030, the company aims to:
- Raise over $750 million in new farmland assets, leveraging both institutional and retail demand for private market exposure.
- Achieve fee structures approximating a 1% base fee plus a 20% performance fee, reflecting the value-added nature of the Ceres platform.
- Double its base fee revenue through farmland expansion and product innovation.
- Grow performance fee revenue by 1.5x to 2x, assuming Ceres’ historic return trends continue.
- Support broader margin expansion efforts for WisdomTree, in line with the company’s evolving asset management platform strategy.
Transaction Overview
Under the terms of the agreement, WisdomTree will pay an initial cash consideration of $275 million at closing, subject to customary adjustments. Additionally, Ceres Partners stakeholders may receive earn-out consideration of up to $225 million in 2030, contingent on the platform achieving a compound annual revenue growth rate (CAGR) of 12% to 22% over a five-year performance period.
The transaction remains subject to customary regulatory approvals, financing conditions, and other closing requirements. WisdomTree expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Building a Next-Generation Asset Management Platform
This acquisition reinforces WisdomTree’s long-term strategy to redefine the asset management business model. By combining the structural growth of private assets with digital innovation and product transparency, the firm aims to build a next-generation platform that meets the complex needs of today’s investors.
Ceres will serve as a foundational pillar in this platform, adding a new dimension to WisdomTree’s existing capabilities in exchange-traded products, tokenization technology, and model portfolio strategies. The company is actively working to blend traditional financial instruments with blockchain-enabled offerings and private market exposure to create a diversified, future-ready investment ecosystem.
With demand for real assets and private investments continuing to rise, WisdomTree’s acquisition of Ceres Partners signals more than just portfolio expansion—it represents a deliberate step toward shaping the future of asset management.
