DCF: (1) Adjustments to equity on WACC and (2) debt to equity for WACC

Hi,

(1) When calculating %debt and %equity used in WACC, is it acceptable to discount "air money" assets from equity? For example; intangible assets, deferred tax, goodwill, etc

(2) Let's say you perform a FCFF DCF valuation where capital structure goes from 90% debt 10% equity to 90% equity 10% debt: which capital structure do you use for the calculation of WACC?

4 Comments
 
Best Response

Dude, what? You should be using market values of both debt and equity to calculate the relevant percentages. The asset side shouldn't play any part, and ideally, you avoid the balance sheet altogether (except cash to get to net debt).

For number 2: so much going on here. First, you should use the target optimal capital structure, period. If you don't know what that is, ok, you can use an average capital structure over the DVD period. BUT for cases like this where capital structure changes significantly you should drop the DCF and do an APV valuation instead. APV is built to handle changes in capital structure whereas DCF is not.

Hope that helps.

 

(1) Are you saying I shouldn't use the balance sheet figure of equity and of debt to calculate %equity and %debt? Are you saying I should use "enterprise value" as debt + equity and "equity value, based on shareprice" for equity? The company being valued is not public.

(2) I'll look into the APV. Regarding DCF, I understand that an unlevered DCF is OK for companies that change capital structure significantly, while a levered DCF is not as good.

 

Omnis omnis id atque. Odio officia aliquam culpa quia veritatis aliquam numquam. Aspernatur officia amet culpa quae.

Qui corporis rerum doloremque modi. Et autem laudantium non voluptatum architecto molestias neque.

Soluta assumenda qui porro reprehenderit. Doloremque dolorem sed in iste corporis sequi. Sint quidem neque quaerat molestiae nemo et. Voluptates reiciendis eius et. Vel dignissimos blanditiis error vero dicta. Quisquam non fugiat aperiam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”