Equity International gets stake in Brazil builder

NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - Equity International, the privately held investment company headed by U.S. real estate titan Sam Zell, said on Thursday it bought about 20 million shares, or 5 percent, of Construtora Tenda SA TEND3.SA, a Brazilian homebuilder focused on the entry-level home market.

Tenda marks Equity International's fifth investment in Brazil, Equity International said.

In October, Gafisa SA (GFSA3.SA), another Equity International portfolio company, acquired a 60 percent majority ownership stake in Tenda through the merger of its Fit Residencial business unit with Tenda.

In 2002, Equity International Properties invested in Desarrolladora Homex SAB de CV (HOMEX.MX), a Mexico-based developer of single-family entry level homes. (Reporting by Ilaina Jonas, Editing by Toni Reinhold)