M & A: A Practical Guide to Doing the Deal

Part I: The Big Picture
1. The Global M&A Market: Current Status and Evolution
2. U.S. M&A History, Trends, and Differences from Other Nations
3. The Need for Growth Spurs Acquirers to Buy Other Companies
4. The Three Financial Tactics That Dominate the M&A Business

Part II: Finding a Deal
5. The Buyer Must Have a Methodical Plan in Order to Find a Quality Transaction
6. To Begin an Acquisition Search, the Buyer First Sets the Likely Parameters of a Deal
7. The Buyer Starts the Formal Acquisition Search by Alerting Intermediaries and Contacting Possible Sellers
8. Finding a Deal: Likely Results of a Search
9. The Four Principal Risks Facing a Buyer in the M&A Business

Part III: Target Financial Analysis
10. Sizing Up the M&A Target from a Financial Point of View
11. To Facilitate Financial Projections, the Buyer Needs to Classify the Target as a Mature, Growth, or Cyclical Business
12. How Practitioners Forecast an M&A Target’s Sales and Earnings

Part IV: Acquisition Valuation
13. The M&A Industry Typically Uses Four Valuation Methodologies
14. The Use of Discounted Cash Flow in M&A Valuation
15. Valuing M&A Targets Using the Comparable Public Companies Approach
16. Valuing an M&A Target by Considering Comparable Deals and Leveraged Buyouts
17. Valuation Situations That Don’t Fit the Standard Models

Part V: Combination, the Sale Process, Structures, and Special Situations
18. Combining the Buyer’s and Seller’s Financial Results for the M&A Analysis
19. When Is the Best Time for an Owner to Sell a Business?
20. The Sale Process from the Seller’s Vantage Point
21. A Review of Legal and Tax Structures Commonly Used in Transactions
22. Unusual Transaction Categories
23. Final Thoughts on Mergers and Acquisitions