Congratulations—you’ve landed the investment banking analyst role. You survived the recruiting gauntlet, aced the modeling tests, and impressed in the superday interviews. Now comes the hard part: actually succeeding on the job. Think of it this way: your technical skills get you in the door, but your soft skills and cultural …
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Precedent transactions and their role in valuation Precedent transactions, aka “Transactions Comps” or “Deal Comps,” are one of the cornerstone approaches to valuation in investment banking. When bankers and analysts look at how much acquirers have paid for similar companies in past M&A transactions involving companies, they gain insight into …
Comparable company analysis (also known as “comps analysis”) is one of the most widely used valuation methods in investment banking, private equity, corporate finance, and equity research. This technique values a company by comparing it to other public companies with similar financial and operational characteristics. The goal is to understand …
Introduction: What Is Discounted Cash Flow and How to Do a DCF Valuation Discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation is a fundamental technique used by investors, analysts, and corporate finance professionals to determine the intrinsic value of a company or asset. This method relies on estimating a business’s expected future cash …
A debt schedule is a detailed analysis outlining a company’s total debt obligations over time, including debt principal, discretionary debt payments, interest payments, maturities, and covenants. It plays a crucial role in financial modeling, particularly in 3-statement models, LBO models, and credit models. A debt schedule helps forecast a company’s future …
Depreciation is an important accounting concept that helps track the loss in value of an asset over its useful life. The IRS defines depreciation as the accounting for the aging of assets, i.e., the process of allocating the cost of an asset over the years it is used in business …
Working capital, defined as the difference between a company’s current assets and current liabilities, is a vital metric for assessing short-term financial health. It plays a critical role in financial modeling and valuation by evaluating a company’s operational efficiency and liquidity. Particularly during M&A or due diligence, understanding working capital …
This guide provides a comprehensive approach to creating a balance sheet forecast, detailing how to project individual balance sheet line items and ensure the statements align in a three-statement model. A well-built balance sheet projection can help business leaders understand their company’s financial situation and make more informed business decisions …
How to Forecast a Cash Flow Statement (CFS) Understanding how to prepare a cash flow forecast is crucial for insightful financial modeling. This article will guide you through the intricacies of forecasting a Cash Flow Statement (CFS) and explain its purpose as one of the big three financial statements. We’ll …
What is Financial Modeling and Why Is It Important? An Overview of Financial Modeling Financial modeling is a crucial part of decision-making and financial analysis. It involves using Excel files to build an integrated financial statement model based on the three financial statements. These models help forecast key metrics such …