24 Aug Do’s & Don’ts with Forecasting to Determine Valuations

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We are often faced with the overwhelming influence from sellers to put aggressive weighting on financial forecasting when it comes to determining valuations. The reality is that while forecasting has a significant impact in determining valuations it doesn’t always have a positive impact.
Points we discuss in this episode:
- Forward-looking performance of the company can be incorporated into earnout type structures
- Forecasts can shed light on new business lines maturing and becoming a more meaningful part of the financial picture
- Forecasts provide buyers with the information they need to make assumptions on a combined businesses performance
- Forecasts that are in line with historical performance are more likely to be weighted vs those with major spikes in performance
- Forecasts containing major reductions in OpEx to achieve a new degree of EBITDA need clear understanding and in many cases require some historical proof points to be considered in valuations.
- Forecasts with major upward shifts in revenue without any historical performance to support the improvement will almost certainly be discounted
- Forecasts are an important part of valuations when the combination currency is stock/equity. Mergers and acquisitions that are funded by stock almost always allow for a more aggressive valuation based on future performance
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