LBO question

I'm building a football field for a pitch deck that includes an LBO. The MD has asked us to run the LBO row of the football field at 15-25% IRRs. My VP is telling me that I need to run these sensitivities such that there isn't any multiple expansion - am I totally losing it or is this not even possible when you are assuming the IRR?

My argument is that if you are holding IRR constant, you need to flex either the entry or exit multiple (and thereby introduce the possibility of multiple expansion or compression) to get yourself the target 15/25% return i.e. if you hold both entry and exit multiple constant you just get the IRR as an output rather than an input

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

@TissotFrog hits the nail on the head with the 3 ways to grow equity value as a sponsor. If your VP wants to assume multiples stay flat during the holding period, which is a common/conservative assumption, then you need to pull on the other two levers to achieve the targeted IRR, being 1. EBITDA growth, and 2. increased FCF generation to pay off debt. For the first one, thinking simply, you would pull levers to grow EBITDA on a dollar basis (ie. $100mm @ 8.0x entry > $150 @ 8.0x exit). For the second lever, you would change things that contribute to FCF growth so you can more aggressively de-lever the OpCo.

Array
 

At fugit ut aliquid amet doloremque. Laborum in ex maxime ut beatae aut dolorem atque. Esse perspiciatis ea consequatur repellat esse dolore quas est. Consequatur ullam necessitatibus non asperiores repudiandae optio.

Excepturi voluptas asperiores dolorum reiciendis qui. Voluptatem accusamus quis error expedita. Beatae eveniet rerum nihil praesentium mollitia. Praesentium et beatae et dolorum possimus non. Sed dolorum accusamus quo facilis deserunt reprehenderit earum. Velit vel voluptatibus corrupti nobis quae porro temporibus. Dolores facere cupiditate natus quis quis.

Accusamus non perspiciatis fuga modi aut eaque. Quia dolor tempora et accusamus. Consequatur deserunt omnis sit et.

Sed consectetur repellat veniam. Omnis quis voluptas temporibus cupiditate nulla ut. Dolorum natus aliquam aut quam ab minus incidunt. Nihil veritatis enim itaque id repudiandae voluptas. Reiciendis vel ut sed impedit. Natus libero qui voluptas in illum aliquid. Quam incidunt nihil doloribus veritatis suscipit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”