Merger and acquisition (M&A) deals can get complicated. While the deal might benefit both companies, owners must put price tags on their companies that are competitive enough for buyers but profitable enough for sellers. Companies can also value themselves differently using various methods, sometimes making it harder to reach a fair price for all involved. Fortunately, an objective value can be reached by using some of the following approaches.
Merger and Acquisition Advisors
As challenging as it can sometimes be to value a merger and acquisition, it might go much smoother if you enlist the services of an M&A advisory firm. While you focus on your staff and daily tasks, your chosen consultants can work in the background, using their knowledge of trends and pricing to negotiate the right deal.
M&A consultants can also work on both sides of the deal, helping sellers identify buyers and facilitate discussions and negotiations. They can also help buyers by identifying target firms, ascertaining their fit, and helping to close the deal.
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
While sometimes tricky to get right, a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis can be a highly-regarded valuation method to estimate a business’s value based on its future cash flows. By performing a DCF analysis, you can determine the value of an investment right now based on its future money-making projections. It’s often worth relying on experts like M&A consultants to assist with a discounted cash flow analysis since performing the calculations can be complex.
Price-to-Earnings Ratio
A price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) can be an excellent way to understand a company’s worth before a merger or acquisition occurs. The P/E ratio describes measuring a company’s share price relative to its per-share earnings. You can also use it to compare aggregate markets and companies against their own historical records. When you’ve calculated a company’s P/E ratio, you can make an offer on a company that’s multiple times its earnings.
Enterprise Value-to-Sales Ratio
The enterprise value-to-sales (EV/sales) ratio is a measurement tool comparing a company’s enterprise value to its annual sales. With this ratio, investors or buyers have a metric for valuing a company based on its sales while also considering its equity and debt.
Generally, you can calculate EV/sales by adding the total debt to the company market cap, subtracting the cash and cash equivalents, and dividing the result by the company’s annual sales. Whether you’re buying or acquiring a company through a merger, you can use EV/sales in conjunction with the P/E ratio.
Replacement Cost
In simple businesses with only staffing costs and equipment to consider, the valuing process can be as straightforward as working out the replacement cost. An M&A consultant can calculate all associated business costs, present an offer to the seller, and negotiate a takeover. If a deal falls through, company owners might also have the option of setting up their own competing companies for the same or similar money.
Valuing an M&A deal can be complex, especially when both buyers and sellers are fighting for a higher or lower price. However, by using these valuation metrics above, company owners can be in a strong position to negotiate a fair deal for all involved.
