Question: Cash Flow Statement Impact of M&A

How are changes in B/S accounts (working capital, PP&E, goodwill, etc.) relating to an acquisition reflected on the CF statement of the acquiring Company? Theoretically, ending inventory (on the B/S) should equal beginning inventory + change in inventory (operating section of CFS). However, in the case of an acquisition, is the increase in inventory ($20 in the below example) lumped into the investing section of the CFS in the line, acquisition of business, net of cash acquired? If this is the case, would ending inventory not equal beginning inventory + change in inventory (from operating section)? I've provided two example CF statements for the scenario below. Would love some feedback as to whether or not either of them make any sense. If not, would love to see what the CFS should look like.

Scenario: Company A with the following B/S at the beginning of the period purchases Company B for $100. Company A allocates the purchase price as A/R $20, Inventory $20, PP&E $20, and Goodwill $40. Company A pays for Company B with $50 Debt and $50 cash.

Company A B/S (BOP)

Cash $100
A/R $100
Inventory $100
PP&E $100
Assets = $400

Long-Term Debt $200
Equity $200
L+E = $400

Company A B/S (EOP)

Cash $50
A/R $120
Inventory $120
PP&E $120
Goodwill $40
Assets = $450

Long-Term Debt $250
Equity $200
Liabilities & Equity= $450

Company A CF Statement Example 1:

Investing Activities:
Acquisition of business -$100

Financing Activities
Debt Increase +$50

Company A CF Statement Example 2:
Operating Activities:
Inventory -$20
A/R -$20

Investing Activities:
PP&E -$20
Goodwill -$40

Financing Activities:
Debt increase $50

1 Comments
 

Consequatur dolores illo recusandae minima sint eum deleniti. Quis asperiores incidunt eaque facilis. Molestiae voluptates illo sint molestiae aliquid quaerat libero et. Nam quas voluptate sequi voluptatibus vel voluptatem ut et. Dolorem labore sunt fugiat voluptatem.

Laudantium rerum culpa perspiciatis beatae. Reprehenderit delectus iste velit ea sit est. Nihil necessitatibus ut vero quae.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”