• QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    The Era of “Illiquid for Longer” in Private Equity

    February 18, 2026

    Navigating Liquidity, Valuation, and Risk When exits slow down, everything else starts to feel tighter. That is where many sponsors are today. In this article, the authors discuss the reasons for the longer exits and ramifications. Private equity runs on exits. When exits slow down, everything else starts to feel tighter: fund timelines, liquidity planning, and even conversations with investors. That is where many sponsors are today. Exits are taking longer, buyers are tougher on price, and financing is not as easy as it used to be, so more companies are staying in portfolios past the “normal” timeline. That means…

  • Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Challenges for Expert Witnesses Valuing Private Equity and Hedge Fund General Partner Interests in Divorce Matters

    January 10, 2024

    When You are Retained by Counsel for the Out-Spouse Valuing private equity and hedge fund general partner interests is a complex matter. Valuing them in a divorce proceeding can be an even more complex matter. The focus of this article is to share the challenges valuators may face when engaged to value general partner interest in private equity and hedge fund businesses in divorce matters when NOT engaged by the business owner’s legal counsel. Valuing private equity and hedge fund general partner interests is a complex matter. Valuing them in a divorce proceeding can be an even more complex matter.…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Top Story

    Updates in the Exit Planning Market

    September 21, 2022

    Third Quarter 2022 2021 was a significant year for business owners who chose to exit via a sale of their privately held businesses. The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic pumped billions of dollars into the economy, helping to drive a robust mergers and acquisitions market led by aging baby boomers preparing to retire and concerned about the prospect that the Biden administration was potentially eliminating the favorable capital gains tax. This article is written to provide an exit planning market update following this historic M&A cycle against some economic headwinds and challenges in today’s market. The article focuses on…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Financial Advisory Services

    August 4, 2021

    And S Corporation Acquisitions Analysts should be aware that one transaction tax structure that is particularly popular regarding private equity firm acquisitions is an Internal Revenue Code Section 368(a)(1)(F) reorganization of the private S corporation. The article discusses several of the reasons why owners may want to sell—and why private equity firms may want to buy—an S corporation target company. The article describes what analysts need to know about the benefits to the S corporation sellers of a Section 368(a)(1)(F) reorganization as one step in the private company sale transaction. In addition, it also describes what analysts need to know…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Are Disappointing Healthcare PE Deals a Sign to Come?

    July 7, 2021

    Analysis of Deal Stats Pre- and Post-COVID-19 This article will review PE activity generally, and in the healthcare industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and discuss what is expected for the remainder of 2021, as the economy evolves in response to a post-pandemic America. The involvement of private equity (PE) in the healthcare industry in the first quarter of 2021 disappointed investors after the number of deals closed was only half the number of deals in the same quarter of 2020.[1] Just over a year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting the U.S. full force, the volume of transactions increased…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Top Story

    Leading with Your Heart

    August 21, 2019

    How to Avoid Romance of the Deal through Cold-Hearted Diligence This paper attempts to address these issues while presenting summary critical considerations that can and do mitigate the likelihood of unintended consequences and deals that fail to deliver. Specifically, it will speak to how advisors and buyers can verify and substantiate the most critical and yet intangible value drivers in a deal. Recently, private equity has been in the news again. Roughly one month ago, Elizabeth Warren announced new proposed legislation—the Wall Street Looting Act—intended to curb “useless speculation,” encourage “economic patriotism,” while targeting “vampires” intent on “bleeding companies dry”.…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Private Equity Investment in the Healthcare Industry

    May 29, 2019

    Private Equity’s Fast and Furious Entry into Healthcare (Part III of III) The third of this three-part series examines why private equity and venture capital firms are targeting the healthcare industry and the issues that they encounter managing their healthcare portfolio. Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms are attracted by the potential for growth that exists in the healthcare industry; however, significant barriers also exist that may limit the expansion of PE and VC in healthcare, including the requirement for specialized knowledge to understand the operations of a clinical services provider, healthcare industry specific regulatory issues, latent long…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    Private Equity Investments in the Healthcare Industry

    February 13, 2019

    Introduction: The Fundamentals of Private Equity (Part I of III) Why is private equity becoming increasingly involved in the business of healthcare? How will their involvement affect the delivery of services? This first installment of a three-part series will describe the fundamentals of the private equity industry, in general, and set forth a common terminology that will be utilized throughout the series. The second and third installments will further discuss the trends in private equity utilization in the healthcare industry. A more detailed version of this article appears in The Value Examiner, January/February 2019 issue. The remaining issues will be…

  • Healthcare - QuickRead Top Story

    A Comprehensive Approach

    September 25, 2018

    to Valuation of a Healthcare Practice or Entity A valuation consultant must understand the type of healthcare entity he or she is valuing, the opportunities and risks as discussed above, the potential buyers, the marketplace, and typical valuation multiples for specific types of deals. Extensive research into these areas will lead to a significantly better and more informed valuation. The author discusses the different buyers, motivations, and trends.

  • QuickPress

    Market Trends: 3Q17 Update

    October 18, 2017

    The first three quarters of 2017 were active for U.S. markets.  Major indices were characterized by low volatility and upward momentum against a backdrop of tightening monetary policy and strong economic indicators.  Private equity saw steady deal flow despite challenging market conditions, and record levels of venture capital deployment were seen amidst declining deal volume as capital continued to gravitate to the unicorns.  With one quarter left, we take a look at market activity during the first three quarters of 2017. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Market Trends: 3Q17 Update. This article is…

  • QuickPress

    Trends Influencing the Fair Value of Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Investments

    September 20, 2017

    In Mercer Capital’s most recent issue of Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Marks and Trends, they provide a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value of private equity and venture capital portfolio investments.  Key highlights are covered in their Third Quarter 2017 newsletter. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Trends Influencing the Fair Value of Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Investments. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit:…

  • QuickPress

    A Visual Recap of Global PE Activity in 2Q 2017

    September 6, 2017

    With the second quarter of 2017 in the books, we ran the numbers and sifted through the data to recap all the key info on global PE activity during 2Q.  Powered by the PitchBook Platform, our quarter-end datagraphic looks at fundraising (which had a huge quarter), deal and exit activity, top investors and more. To read the full article in PitchBook, click: A Visual Recap of Global PE Activity in 2Q 2017.

  • QuickPress

    Relevant Market Trends Influencing the Fair Value of Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Investments

    July 12, 2017

    In our most recent issue of Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Marks and Trends, we provide a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value of private equity and venture capital portfolio investments.  In this blog, there are key highlights covered in our Second Quarter 2017 newsletter. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Relevant Market Trends Influencing the Fair Value of Private Equity and Venture Capital Portfolio Investments. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To…

  • QuickPress

    Gravity Matters, Especially for Financial Investors

    January 11, 2017

    What risk assets are not near record valuations, aside from assets in a few sectors such as energy and retail?  Investing when multiple expansion occurs over a holding period is a great thing, but multiples cannot expand forever; they also can contract.  Jeff Davis, managing director of Mercer Capital’s Financial Institutions Group, explains. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Gravity Matters, Especially for Financial Investors. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.

  • Mergers and Acquisitions/Exit Planning - QuickRead Featured

    Analyst Considerations of a Taxable Stock Purchase M&A Structure

    November 30, 2016

    Transaction Structure Considerations on Target Company Value Valuation analysts do not have to be investment bankers to value an M&A candidate, but they do need to understand taxable and non-taxable stock acquisitions. This discussion summarizes some of the tax benefits—and some of the tax complexities—associated with a taxable stock purchase deal structure. Although the analyst is not expected to be the transaction income tax advisor, the analyst opining on the deal price fairness to any of the deal participants should be generally aware of these transaction structure considerations.

  • Practice Management - QuickRead Featured

    Sometimes it Sucks to be Right

    September 28, 2016

    IRS Wins, Business Founders and their Families Lose Is cheap debt good for closely held families? Are closely held business overleveraged? Are FLP discounts about to come to an end? Why aren’t business founders and their families doing more to counter the proposed regulations that would target family business transfers? What should valuation professionals do in this environment? Dr. Sheeler answers these questions and argues in favor of a “holistic approach to wealth building of alternative assets held by these families by more dynamic leaders in these professions,” and suggests considering exit strategies that preserve family businesses; the nimble and…

  • QuickPress

    Five Variations on a Theme: Analyzing Transaction Premium Data (Part 2)

    August 17, 2016

    Part 1 of this series offered an overview of observed transaction premium data (from the 2016 Mergerstat Review) for acquisitions of public companies.  That post also deliberated on one of five common avenues to incremental economic benefits that motivate market participants to transact.  Part 2 walks through the four remaining variations on the incremental economic benefits theme, and offers some concluding thoughts on how to incorporate this sort of analysis into fair value measurements.  Travis W. Harms, Mercer Capital Financial Reporting Valuation Group lead, explains the analyses and discusses his views. To read the full article in Mercer Capital’s Financial…

  • QuickPress

    Updated: Valuation Best Practices for Venture Capital and Private Equity Funds

    December 9, 2015

    The International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) Guidelines were developed in 2005 to set out recommendations on best practices in the valuation of private equity investments.  Karolina Calhoun, senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital, looks at the draft amendments to the existing guidelines published in October 2015. To read more about the results of this report in the Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog, click: Updated: Valuation Best Practices for Venture Capital and Private Equity Funds. This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog.  It is reprinted with permission.  To subscribe to the blog, visit: http://mercercapital.com/category/financialreportingblog/.