Working Capital question in closing an M&A deal

I am currently working on a buy-side transaction and am trying to provide guidance to the other side on "standard" levels of working capital left in the business when closing. As the seller does not have an investment bank involved I want to provide them with guidance from some third party research to cite so our guidance does not sound like self-dealing. Is anyone aware of any database/reports/metrics etc that show what normal working capital levels look like?

3 Comments
 
Best Response

Something strange here. Someone at the target (the VP of Finance, CFO, or someone similar) should know exactly what the company's working capital looks like from month-to-month. Why do you need to tell them something so fundamental about their business? There really is no "standard" level of working capital, or at least not that you're going to be able to find.

Seller should provide you with average monthly WC stats for the past year, and you should advise your client to negotiate a closing adjustment if, at close, the balances are abnormally high or low relative to the average. Unless the target has been gaming their WC in anticipation of a sale (highly unlikely), the historical averages are going to be the best proxy for what your client is going to inherit.

 

Sint repellat vero atque est magnam. Aut dignissimos ut voluptas. Provident hic alias perspiciatis doloremque vitae sed. Quia harum qui quia dolor reprehenderit. Et voluptatem qui nobis nemo.

Doloribus quos et ut odit quo. Vel adipisci facere id facilis. Velit aliquid quis hic magnam ut. Aut blanditiis enim ea tempore optio adipisci accusamus.

Perferendis nisi eum facilis ea. Ut ipsam esse inventore natus. Vero in vel quia ab. In ea voluptatibus rem ipsa. Aut amet aut ea placeat natus nihil saepe.

Voluptatibus consequatur sequi cupiditate velit non. Atque rerum nobis explicabo fugiat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”