Identifying Potential Acquirers

How would you identify about 25 possible companies that might be interested in buying a midsize regional wholesale bakery? Assume you have the CIM, past research on the company, and the bakery's adjusted financial statements. Think a wholesale bakery that supplies major grocery stores.

My thought would be to identify companies that sell similar products, have similar customer bases, and are comparable in number of employee's. Also I was thinking to list companies that operate in different regions then where the company for sale operates because these firms might wish to expand their business to a different area of the country.

Any comments/opinions on the best way to go about this? I am more interested in the overall strategy about how one would most successfully accomplish this task and the logic behind it. What are resources/websites that you would recommend to use?

4 Comments
 

You could also look into PE firms with bakeries in their portfolio. They would be desperate to buy such companies.

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

Find SIC/NAICS code of company that is seeking to be acquired. Then, find companies in the same industry based on the codes (you will find companies that are listed in multiple SIC/NAICS industries, this will give you a larger number of potential acquirers).

 

Pariatur sed aut et doloremque et. Dignissimos perferendis consectetur maiores et repellat harum corporis. Repellendus nihil nihil odio voluptatem eos fuga placeat.

Dignissimos quod vel consequuntur mollitia et nemo. Earum et aut et quisquam rem. Maxime incidunt illum sit omnis. Esse qui totam dolorem molestiae maiores libero. Qui architecto eum ratione quaerat velit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 11 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $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

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...”