Strange multiple and debt in acquisitions?

Question 1> Asked in an interview:

Would the following multiple be appropriate:

Enterprise Value / (EBITDA - Tax)

Both the numbers should still be apples-to-apples right? But would subtracting Tax have an impact on tax shield etc (thus apples-to-ornages)?

Question 2>

What normally happens to debt of the target company in acquisitions? Do companies normally buy other companies on a no debt no cash basis or would they assume the debt?

In both cases, what is the actual consideration to be paid to the target? The equity value or the enterprise value?

Thanks!

6 Comments
 
Best Response

For number 2. The company would pay the equity value to shareholders, but the enterprise value is seen as the true cost of the deal because the company most likely would assume the debt.

I'm not sure about EBITDA....you can minus tax because (EBITDA-Tax) is the same as (EBITDA x 1-Tax Rate). The ratio is similar to EBIT which would use the Enterprise Value, but the fact that you still have Depreciation to pay and that you took out taxes means its not really a good indicator of the operation strength of the company....I would say as long as you talked about what you thought of it...not commonly used so client would not really look at it. The fact that EBITDA is available to all shareholders so you would use enterprise value, but your not sure about the tax, ect. They probably wanted to see if you could work your way through it/how you thought through things.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

it's not appropriate because taking out your tax, which depends on your capital structure, makes it apples-to-bananas.

-------------------------------------------------- "Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would, I do NOT do that thing." -Dwight Schrute, "The Office"-
 

Iusto explicabo at nihil voluptatibus officiis facere. Non enim voluptatem sed necessitatibus earum illum. Laborum rerum sed consequatur. Officia sed voluptatem ea non aperiam. Sunt explicabo ipsam voluptas.

Qui non rerum sunt autem qui. Qui eius provident vel optio nostrum voluptatem consectetur. Qui modi repellendus ut ullam saepe.

Rerum aliquid illum dignissimos voluptas. Corporis quibusdam quia quam accusantium ex at consequatur. Dolorem excepturi tempore nihil facilis qui deserunt eum. Neque ipsum rerum maxime quod.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”