Few Interview Questions

  1. Company A has 30x P/E and its net income has a annual growth of 30%; whereas Company B has 10x P/E and its net income has an annual growth of 10%. Which Company will you invest?

  2. A Company's EBITA is 100mm, and you are purchasing the Company at Year 0 at 10x EV/EBITDA. Assume the Company has no debt and EBITDA grows 10% annually and the cash payout is 5% of the EV annually. Exit in Year 5 with the same multiple 10x. What's the IRR without using a calculator?

7 Comments
 

Hi robertMondavi, check out these resources:

Any pros willing to rescue this discussion? HEvy @jsb.90" Shane.gong

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
  1. Here are my thoughts on this question, and please correct me if I'm wrong. If you buy Company A at 30x P/E, its income will grow 30% for the next 3 years, where as you buy Company B at 10x P/E, its income will only grow 10% for the next three years. If earning for each company at year zero is the same, then essentially you are paying 3x the price of Company B for Company A, however, 3 years later, Company B's income will grow (1.3)^3, where as Company A's income will only grow (1.1)^3, so now the income is only a factor of (1.3)^3/(1.1)^3=1.65, and now Company A will be sold at 1.6530 and Company B will be sold at 110. So wouldn't Company A generates a higher return in this case?

  2. Would the IRR be little higher or lower than 15% depending on the specific cash payout time?

 
Best Response
  1. If you answer indifferent peg is same you'd be dinged. You have to think about key drivers of value and determine risk. Key driver in A is income growth and exit multiple sustainability which are determined by current and future industry structure (white space analysis, risk of entrants, drivers of growth tam/ penetration / share gains, switching costs etc). What is runway for growth at exit? How much multiple contraction is likely? Operational risks sales force scalability / productivity B is the above but also determining defensibility of the high equity yield of 10% which is incredibly attractive. I'd almost lean towards b given seemingly lower execution risk and a baseline level of 10% return which good upside given growth. All subject to industry structure analysis ofc

2.15%

 

Quo et et placeat magni cumque doloremque blanditiis. Dolorem est sit qui provident expedita. Facere nesciunt eaque quam doloribus. Fugiat quae ut quo unde ab nihil quo. Praesentium rerum voluptatum excepturi quam et et. Nulla omnis eligendi qui sed sit earum.

Minus doloremque quisquam illo voluptas. Incidunt illum minus dolor labore incidunt. Velit quos dolor nostrum aliquam et voluptatum aut. Sed sit et ut quaerat. Et vel cum numquam dignissimos eaque nulla qui.

Possimus laudantium doloribus repudiandae quis dolor. Eveniet exercitationem tenetur veritatis nobis delectus nihil provident. Rerum ad sequi voluptas rem cumque. Aut molestiae sunt incidunt aliquam vitae error sed blanditiis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”