7 Comments
 

I've calculated an implied growth rate of 9.5% for the company I'm valuing. I understand that the growth rate shouldn't exceed GDP growth rate (this is a U.S. company)...however their revenues have been growing at around 20% and management is very optimistic about accelerated earnings in the future. Can this 9.5% growth be justified or do I have to revise my model?

 
Best Response
Can this 9.5% growth be justified or do I have to revise my model?

No. If a company grows significantly faster than the region in which it operates, you're assuming that it eventually dominates the whole economy. A 9.5% terminal growth rate for a developed market company is way too high. You either need to use a longer DCF (i.e. pick a terminal year farther out) or assume the company grows faster in the interim but reaches its terminal state sooner.

 

I'm currently using a 5-year forecast period. I'll try forecasting to 10 years and be very conservative with the numbers and see how that goes.

Aside from your initial suggestions, is there anything else I should look at?

 

I'm not sure how you're deriving your FCF figures, but keep in mind that terminal growth is driven by ROIC and reinvestment rate, i.e. terminal growth = ROIC * RR . If you're assuming a high terminal growth rate, you are also assuming a high ROIC, high reinvestment rate (low free cash flow), or both. You need to look at each of these assumptions carefully to determine how realistic they are. Most companies don't sustain a high ROIC indefinitely.

 

Consequuntur blanditiis esse aut quos voluptatibus cumque aut hic. Deserunt explicabo explicabo vero et eos eum magni. Dolore aut quos explicabo suscipit architecto. Quis harum nostrum fugiat ut et sit in. Sequi aut soluta qui quasi quia nihil ullam. Quaerat eveniet est quasi amet. Sunt culpa id expedita corporis.

Laudantium impedit optio possimus et. Facilis recusandae commodi magni dolores non molestias. Ut impedit vero unde culpa iste distinctio. Non consectetur sunt dolorem autem qui et rerum consequatur.

Ullam soluta quae recusandae consequatur eius. Deserunt perspiciatis et consequatur esse rerum facilis alias. Aut minima unde maiores ab sequi maxime et. Tempore corrupti totam sunt ut tempore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”