There are clear signs that the “easy” portfolio valuations that have existed in 2013 and 2014 may be coming to an end in 2015. Travis W. Harms who leads Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation Group, discusses the expansion in multiples and their role in the favorable equity market returns over the past two years. He also discusses the impact of high-yield credit spreads, the energy sector, and loan covenants on credit valuations. [button color=”blue” link=”http://mercercapital.com/financialreportingblog/if-valuation-were-an-olympic-sport/” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]To learn more about equity and credit valuation, click here.[/button] This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted…
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Part II: Nine Additional Reasons a Valuation Is Needed in Chapter 11 This second part of the article focuses on the remaining nine reasons a valuation of IP is necessary in a Chapter 11.
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Traditional valuation methodologies have relied upon the analysis of historical accounting and other data as predictive of future performance and value. However, this may not hold true with every economy, industry, or even every enterprise within an industry, over time. For example, the turbulent status of the healthcare industry over the last five decades, since the passage of Medicare in the 1960s, has introduced intervening events and circumstances that have had a dramatic effect on the revenue, expense, and subsequent net economic benefit stream of enterprises operating in the healthcare marketplace. Accordingly, the “road map of historical performance” of healthcare…
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Two provisions of the affordable care act—the premium tax credit and the individual shared-responsibility payment (the individual mandate)—are complex and making it extra challenging for both taxpayers and preparers filing individual tax returns for 2014. Early on this tax season, the IRS discovered some errors, complications, and adversities for some individuals and provided relief says Annette Nellen, tax professor and director of the MST Program at San José State University. In her article, she summarizes the health care act guidance and relief issued in early 2015 and notes health care updates relevant for 2015 and beyond. [button color=”blue” link=”http://www.cpa2biz.com/Content/media/PRODUCER_CONTENT/Newsletters/Articles_2015/Tax/update-on-affordable-care-act.jsp” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]To learn…
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Part I: Three of the 12 Reasons a Valuation Is Needed in Chapter 7, 9, and 11 This two-part article summarizes the various types of intellectual property that valuation analysts (“analysts”) may encounter within a commercial bankruptcy controversy, lists the generally accepted intellectual property valuation approaches, and presents the reasons why analysts may be asked to value intellectual property within a commercial bankruptcy environment. In Part I, Mr. Reilly identifies three of the 12 reasons why a valuation is needed in a bankruptcy proceeding.
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Part 1: Find Industry and Location-Specific Data Courts standards require that damages analysis results be within “reasonable certainty”, and objective rather than speculative. And while the terms “reasonable certainty” and “speculative” are more terms of art than science, given these standards, it is of vital importance to analyze all relevant factors to the extent permitted by the best data available. And it is the responsibility of the damages expert to present an analysis that is both reasonably certain and objective by engaging in reasonable effort to request and/or research the best data available. The expert that is unable to isolate…
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M&A activity has accelerated substantially in 2014 following the financial crisis. When an acquisition proposal is being weighed, there needs to be a thorough vetting of the buyer’s shares. A fairness opinion evaluates the investment merits of the shares before and after a transaction is consummated says Jeff K. Davis, CFA with Mercer Capital. This article discusses the key questions you need to ask about the buyer’s shares. [button color=”blue” link=”http://mercercapital.com/financialreportingblog/fairness-opinions-evaluating-buyers-shares/” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]To learn more about fairness opinions, click here.[/button] This article is republished from Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Blog. It is reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the…
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The Myth of Efficient Market Cramdown Rate In December 2014, the American Bankruptcy Institute issued its Final Report and Recommendations of the Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11. The Commission was comprised of 22 professionals. The group included attorneys, academics, financial advisers, and a former bankruptcy judge. After over two years of work, the Commission made more than 200 recommendations to enhance the Chapter 11 process and provide a more efficient, less costly path for smaller businesses seeking bankruptcy. In this article, Dr. Needham discusses the origin of the Commission’s purpose, the recommendations and the impact of the…
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A Primer on the Approaches and Issues Involved in Valuing Trademarks Valuation analysts are often called on to perform valuation, damages, and transfer price analyses of trademark-related intangible property for various purposes. This discussion describes the valuation of trademarks within the context of both financial accounting and income tax accounting (in particular, tax-related intercompany transfer pricing) and summarizes the generally accepted trademark analysis approaches and methods. And, this discussion presents three examples, using different analytical methods, to illustrate the analysis of trademarks.
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A Chapter 11 reorganization is a chaotic and challenging time for a distressed company says Samantha L. Albert, a senior financial analyst with Mercer Capital. There are many valuation-related considerations that management teams and financial advisers need to have knowledge of. This article discusses five key concepts to focus on when proceeding with a Chapter 11 reorganization. [button color=”blue” link=”http://mercercapital.com/financialreportingblog/5-things-know-chapter-11-bankruptcy-valuation/” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]To learn more about Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Valuation, click here.[/button] 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/.
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Business owners contemplating retirement should obtain a business valuation to determine the value of the business and whether the other resources will provide financial security. The conversation and successful engagement also requires that the valuation analyst understand the owner’s motivating factors, or the qualitative information. Obtaining the right price is important, but holding out for a larger value and deeming all other values lower than that needed as a “deal breaker” can be self-defeating to the owner seeking financial security; there are other ways to obtain the security. Further, quibbling over a smaller amount can potentially undermine the long term…
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Merger and acquisition activity in the healthcare industry has increased over the past few years. The playbook used in the past has shifted. In this article the authors share their views on whether and when to announce the deal, the importance of conducting pre-deal due diligence, appearing before the Board of Directors, understanding the constituents that are needed to succeed, and conducting pre-market due diligence in anticipation of Federal Trade Commission scrutiny.
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Big data offers unlimited potential to change the way business is done, for almost any type of company says Arleen Thomas, Senior Vice President of Management Accounting, at the AICPA. Management accountants can use the ever-growing amount of data to make decisions that will increase the competitive advantage of clients’ businesses. This article discusses not only the sources of data available to the finance professional but also how it impacts companies of every size. [button color=”blue” link=”http://blog.aicpa.org/2015/02/big-data-big-opportunities.html#sthash.NC2caTSv.FdFzO28x.dpbs” target=”_blank” font=”arial” align=”left”]To learn more about big data, click here. [/button] Image courtesy of nokhoog_buchachong/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation is simple at its core, yet often intimidates many says Aswath Damodaran, Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University. You need one only theory to value companies that is based on the equation that the value of an asset is the value of the expected cash flows over its lifetime, adjusted for risk and the time value of money. To learn how to strip away the layers of complexity built into valuation over the decades and return to this simple equation, click the link below. [button color=”blue” link=”http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/discounted-cashflow-valuations-dcf-academic-exercise-sales-pitch-or-investor-tool” target=”_blank”…
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and the Process for the Valuation of a Closely Held Business (Part 1 of 2) Assessing shareholder value for either publicly held or privately held companies are two sides of the same coin. The U.S. capital markets have undergone significant changes in the past several years. This development in turn has had an impact on how these two types of companies are valued. Valuing public companies can be rather straightforward; valuing a closely held or private company is more challenging. In this series, the author will explore some of the methodologies available for valuing a closely held—or private—business.
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Particular challenges can arise in goodwill impairment valuation and accounting when a company acquires a business located in another country. When goodwill accounting standards are strictly applied, under U.S. GAAP or IFRS, the differences between write-offs taken in one country versus another should be minimal. This article delves into some of the notable differences in goodwill impairment conclusions worldwide. Greg Forsythe, CFA, ASA, director at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP discusses methods to minimize these differences. To learn more about the minimizing goodwill impairment differences globally, click here. Image courtesy of Apple’s Eyes Studio/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Modeling Uncertainty to Gain Better Insight and Create Value Gary Lynch, founder and CEO of The Risk Management Project, proposes that uncertainty is the new normal and that firms that espouse risk management can create and preserve value. In this article, Lynch describes how his firm used quantitative models to assist a manufacturer assess how it should respond to a competitor’s price-reduction strategy and how the strategy would impact the supply chain. The analysis enabled the manufacturer to share the insight with suppliers that challenged the sustainability of the competitor’s strategy.
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The proper usage of company management-prepared projections when applying the Income Approach—Discounted Cash Flow Method—is an ongoing issue for any valuation analyst, especially as it relates to shareholder appraisal rights actions. The Delaware Chancery Court regularly provides guidance as to the proper usage of management projections when applying the Discounted Cash Flow Method within a dissenting shareholder appraisal rights action. This article highlights several historical and recent Delaware Chancery Court decisions, and it provides insights into the valuation analyst’s role in properly utilizing management projections when applying the Income Approach—Discounted Cash Flow Method—within a dissenting shareholder appraisal rights action.
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Phone fraud tops this year’s list of the biggest IRS tax scams of 2015, states Sally P. Schreiber, JD, senior editor of Journal of Accountancy, followed by phishing, identity theft, return preparer fraud, and hiding income offshore, rounding out the top five scams. The article delves into the many schemes, including suspicious e-mails, detecting identity theft, refund fraud, fake charities, and more, and includes details on identifying each of the dozen scams that will assist in providing taxpayer protection. To learn more about the top tax scams of 2015, click here. Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Thoughts from Experienced Litigation and Business Valuation Professionals Entering the Industry In this article, seasoned BV and litigation support professionals John DelGrego and Heidi Walker share why litigation can be invaluable to a BV professional. The co-authors also expound on the professional perils and high expectations placed by the Tax Court on expert witnesses. Expert witnesses must be objective, current on the law, and persuasive.