Accounting

What is gross margin?

Merger Model

What is the difference between a merger and an acquisition?

Accounting

How does a company decide when to capitalize or expense a purchase?

DCF

How do you calculate terminal value?

Accounting

What are some examples of non-recurring charges that would be added back to a company's EBITDA?

Merger Model

A company with a higher P/E multiple acquires one with a lower P/E multiple. Is this deal accretive or dilutive?

Accounting

How do the 3 financial statements tie together?

LBO

What variables impact an LBO the most?

DCF

What happens to WACC as you increase leverage?

LBO

Why do private equity firms use leverage when buying a company?

Accounting

Walk me through how $10 of Depreciation affects the three financial statements

Accounting

What flows into Retained Earnings?

Valuation

What are the most common valuation multiples?

DCF

How do you calculate beta?

Valuation

When would it not make sense to use a DCF in a valuation?

Valuation

What are the three main valuation methodologies?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Can a company have a negative Enterprise Value? How?

Enterprise & Equity Values

What is the formula for Enterprise Value?

DCF

Would you expect the WACC to be higher for a $1 billion or $100 million market cap company?

Accounting

What's the difference between capital leases and operating leases?

Valuation

What is a Sum of the Parts valuation and when would you use it?

LBO

What is the "tax shield" in an LBO?

LBO

Walk me through an LBO

Accounting

What is Operating Margin?

DCF

Walk me through how to get from Revenue to Unlevered Free Cash Flow in your DCF projections

Accounting

What is goodwill?

DCF

What is the mid-year convention and why would you use it in a DCF?

Valuation

What is a Liquidation Valuation analysis and when would you use it?

Accounting

What is the difference between deferred revenue and accounts receivable?

DCF

What is a potential issue with basing terminal multiples on current public company multiples?

Valuation

When would you use an LBO analysis as a part of your valuation?

Accounting

How do you calculate Free Cash Flow?

Accounting

What happens to the three financial statements if we use PIK interest?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Why can't you use Equity Value / EBITDA as a multiple?

Accounting

How does Inventory increasing by $10 affect the three financial statements?

Accounting

Why isn't the Income Statement affected by changes in Inventory?

Merger Model

Why would a strategic acquirer typically be willing to pay more for a company than a private equity firm?

Merger Model

In an all-stock deal, how can you quickly tell if a deal will be accretive or dilutive?

Accounting

What does it mean if a company has negative Working Capital?

DCF

How do you calculate cost of equity?

Merger Model

What are some reasons for why a company would want to acquire another company?

Valuation

What are some other possible valuation methodologies besides the main three?

Enterprise & Equity Values

What is the difference between Equity Value and Shareholders' Equity?

Accounting

What are deferred tax assets and liabilities?

Accounting

What is Goodwill Impairment?

Accounting

How do you calculate LTM (last twelve months) financials?

Accounting

What is amortization?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Is it possible for a company to have a negative Equity Value? How?

DCF

Would you expect the cost of equity to be higher for a $1 billion or $100 million market cap company?

Accounting

How is goodwill calculated?

Accounting

How does $10 of Depreciation affect the three financial statements?

Enterprise & Equity Values

How do you calculate Fully Diluted Shares Outstanding?

Merger Model

Why does goodwill get created in an acquisition?

LBO

Why would a PE firm perform a dividend recap of one of their portfolio companies?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Why do you add Minority Interest to Enterprise Value?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Why do you need to add Minority Interest to Enterprise Value?

LBO

What is a dividend recap?

Accounting

What are some ways that companies can manipulate their earnings?

Enterprise & Equity Values

How do you calculate Equity Value?

Enterprise & Equity Values

What are the four most common valuation multiples?

DCF

How do you calculate WACC?

DCF

How do you select the appropriate exit multiple when calculating terminal value?

DCF

What are the formulas for un-levering and levering Beta?

Merger Model

Walk me through a basic merger model

Merger Model

Is there a shortcut to determine whether a transaction is accretive or dilutive to shareholders?

LBO

What is the circular reference in an LBO?

Accounting

What is the difference between goodwill and intangible assets?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Should you use the book value or the market value of each item when calculating Enterprise Value?

Accounting

What is gross profit?

Accounting

What are some of the major line items on the Income Statement?

Accounting

What is the relationship between CapEx and Depreciation?

Accounting

What is working capital?

Merger Model

What are synergies? What kinds of synergies are there?

Accounting

Where can you find Depreciation on the Income Statement?

Enterprise & Equity Values

What is the difference between Enterprise Value and Equity Value?

LBO

How could a PE firm boost its return in an LBO?

DCF

How do you determine the discount rate in a DCF?

Accounting

Is it possible to have negative Shareholder's Equity? If so, how?

Accounting

What are some of the major line items on the Balance Sheet?

DCF

What is beta?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Why do you subtract cash in the Enterprise Value formula?

Accounting

Does Goodwill get amortized?

Accounting

What are some of the major line items on the Cash Flow Statement?

DCF

How do you calculate WACC for a private company?

DCF

What happens if you use Levered Free Cash Flow instead of Unlevered Free Cash Flow in your DCF?

DCF

Walk me through a DCF

Valuation

What are some problems with using a Comparable Companies analysis?

Accounting

If depreciation is a non-cash expense, why does it affect the cash balance on the Cash Flow Statement?

LBO

What are some characteristics that make a good LBO candidate?

DCF

Which company would we expect to have a higher beta, an industrials company or an internet company?

Merger Model

Why would an acquisition be dilutive?

Valuation

How would you present your various valuation methodologies to a client?

Accounting

Walk me through the three financial statements

LBO

What are the different levers in an LBO?

Enterprise & Equity Values

When acquiring a company, should you look at Enterprise or Equity Value?

Enterprise & Equity Values

Why is debt added to Equity Value in the formula for Enterprise Value?

Accounting

A company makes a $100 cash purchase of equipment on Dec. 31. How does this impact the three statements this year and next year?

Valuation

How would you rank the 3 major valuation methodologies from highest to lowest in expected value?

Valuation

What are some problems with using a Precedent Transactions analysis?

DCF

Why do you usually project out 5-10 years in a DCF?