16 Comments
 

An alternative way to look at this question would be to look at the cash flow of the $1 as a "business." The business generates $1, immediately, and that's it.

I don't think there is a truly correct way to answer this question, as long as you demonstrated some financial knowledge and / or creative thinking you'll probably be just fine.

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tth7I was asked this question today in an DB interview. "What is the enterprise value of one dollar". How the hell do you answer that? I didn't even know how to start.

I agree that there is probably not one correct way to answer. But here's my take.... the idea of removing cash from EV is that it effectively nets out debt/equity. Ie, you use the cash you get from the purchase to pay down the market value of the securities held by various constituents in the capital structure. If you assume there is no equity/debt, then there is nothing to net out. Hence the EV would be a dollar, because that dollar goes to you.

You could argue it's implied that the dollar is owned by someone and hence has equity. In that case the EV is zero. However, that's assuming the equity is (properly) valued at one dollar.

j

 
tth7I was asked this question today in an DB interview. "What is the enterprise value of one dollar". How the hell do you answer that? I didn't even know how to start.

I agree that there is probably not one correct way to answer. But here's my take.... the idea of removing cash from EV is that it effectively nets out debt/equity. Ie, you use the cash you get from the purchase to pay down the market value of the securities held by various constituents in the capital structure. If you assume there is no equity/debt, then there is nothing to net out. Hence the EV would be a dollar, because that dollar goes to you.

You could argue it's implied that the dollar is owned by someone and hence has equity. In that case the EV is zero. However, that's assuming the equity is (properly) valued at one dollar.

j

 
Best Response
sasquatchhh
tth7I was asked this question today in an DB interview. "What is the enterprise value of one dollar". How the hell do you answer that? I didn't even know how to start.

I agree that there is probably not one correct way to answer. But here's my take.... the idea of removing cash from EV is that it effectively nets out debt/equity. Ie, you use the cash you get from the purchase to pay down the market value of the securities held by various constituents in the capital structure. If you assume there is no equity/debt, then there is nothing to net out. Hence the EV would be a dollar, because that dollar goes to you.

You could argue it's implied that the dollar is owned by someone and hence has equity. In that case the EV is zero. However, that's assuming the equity is (properly) valued at one dollar.

j

You can't have a company with no debt or equity. To balance out the balance sheet, you have to have equity. So that $1 would be held on the assets side under Cash & Equivalents, but there must be either $1 of debt & $0 equity or $0 debt & $1 equity.
 
wavelink12EV = Equity + Preferred + Debt + MI - Cash

2 = Equity ($1) + Debt ($1) - Cash ($0)

or

0 = Equity ($1) + Debt ($0) - Cash ($1)

You can't have equity and debt with nothing on the asset side.

 

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