NEW YORK and CARMEL, Ind. -

A possible leveraged buyout could be in the financial future of KAR Auction Services.

Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters this week that KAR has held exploratory talks with private equity firms about such a potential move. The sources indicated the deal could exceed $4 billion.

In a message to Auto Remarketing on Thursday, a KAR spokesperson maintained, “As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on market rumors or speculation.”

KAR became a private company back in 2007 and returned as a publicly traded operation two years later.

Report sources explained Kelso & Co, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, ValueAct Capital LLC and Parthenon Capital LLC — which collectively own about 78 percent of KAR — have reached out to other buyout firms to discuss a sale, according to this report.

The potential development comes during the same month KAR revealed its most recent financial performance report. The company kept its performance expectations for the remainder of the year unchanged as its second-quarter adjusted EBITDA decreased 3 percent.

A 3-percent jump in revenue wasn’t enough to produce a gain as KAR indicated its second-quarter adjusted EBITDA settled at $128.1 million, down from the year-ago level of $132.1 million.

“We felt the second quarter would be a challenging quarter. There’s no question that it did prove to be challenging,” KAR chief executive officer Jim Hallett said after the company revealed its recent results.

The company’s second-quarter revenue rose to $487.9 million, up from a year earlier when it was $472.7 million.

When looking at its net income performance, KAR highlighted a whopping 267-percent increase to $23.9 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, as compared with a net loss of $14.3 million or $0.11 per diluted share in the second quarter of last year.

The Reuters report also arrives a little more than a year since KAR revealed details of its debt refinancing effort that totaled nearly $2 billion.

The company entered into a $1.7-billion, six-year senior secured term loan facility and a $250-million, five-year senior secured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of lenders.

In addition to replacing the company’s prior senior secured credit facility, officials explained proceeds from the refinancing will be used to redeem the company’s existing $450 million 8.75 percent Senior Notes and $131.1 million 10 percent Senior Subordinated Notes.

KAR said term loan borrowings will bear interest at an adjusted LIBOR rate plus 3.75 percent (with an adjusted LIBOR rate floor of 1.25 percent per annum) and revolving loan borrowings at an adjusted LIBOR rate plus 3.50 percent.

However, for specified types of borrowings, the company insisted it may elect to make term loan borrowings at a base rate plus 2.75 percent and revolving loan borrowings at a base rate plus 2.50 percent.

“In addition, if the company reduces its consolidated senior secured leverage ratio, which is based on a net debt calculation, to levels specified in the credit agreement, the applicable interest rate will step down by 25 basis points,” KAR officials highlighted.

“As of the date of this announcement, the company had not drawn any amounts under the revolving credit facility,” they added.

No matter the company’s debt standing, Eric Loughmiller, KAR’s executive vice president and chief financial officer reiterated during the company’s second quarter financial results conference call that “generating cash from operating activities continues to be one of our strengths.

“We measure free cash flows as adjusted EBITDA, less capital expenditures, cash taxes and cash interest paid,” Loughmiller explained. “Through the first six months of 2012, we generated $134.6 million of free cash flow. We continue to have no borrowings on our revolver and had available cash of $83.9 million.

“Our net leverage is 3.6 times adjusted EBITDA, and we continue to target three times or less. We believe we can achieve this target in 2013,” he added.