Impact on EV and Equity Value

Guys, I have few questions regarding effect of some events on EV and Equity Value. Just want to clarify am I right.

Got these questions on one of the interviews at PE.

  1. Company is a shell, has no equity, assets, etc.: EV = Equity + Debt - Cash = 0 + 0 - 0 = 0 Equity Value = 0; EV = 0

  2. Company obtained debt of $100 EV = Equity + Debt - Cash = 0 + 100 - 100 = 0 Equity Value = 0; EV = 0

  3. Bought a plant for $100: EV = Equity + Debt - Cash = 0 + 100 - 0 = 100 Equity Value = 0; EV = 100

  4. The plant burned down: EV = Equity + Debt - Cash = -100 + 100 - 0 Equity Value = -100; EV = 0

In last one, does Equity decreases due to assets write-off that goes with negative sign to retained earnings (-100)? Or maybe there is another explanation?

4 Comments
 

Incoming IB FT, so not too sure but I agree with all your calcs

One way id think about the last part is via the BS

If equity is equal to Assets - Liabilities then you have 0 assets since the plant burned down but have 100 in debt. In order for them to balance shareholder’s equity would have to be -100

OR like you said, retained earnings (under SE equity) would be -100 given the write down of 100

 

For book value of equity, sure, but for market value of equity, you can never pay someone for them to take shares of a company without anything in exchange, so there will always be a residual value of equity included in any company. I've seen it before where you take a black scholes pricing model to the company's equity and layer in various assumptions 

 

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