LBO=Pure Evil?

Please forgive my naivety; but going through some interview prep on LBO's I'm curious if there's any reason for GP's at buyout funds to see their portfolio companies "succeed". Just from experience in DCM, bond performance isn't always necessarily directly proportional to company performance.

Although unlikely, if FCF's are strong enough to pay down debt (assuming management is aggressive about deleveraging) the EV (ceteris paribus) will have to increase. Therefore the PE fund wouldn't have to create any value whatsoever.

If you really wanted to get down into the weeds (probably inaccurate given the data set) you could possibly run some sort of Maximum Likelihood Estimator or Method of Moments to determine the most efficient FCF/Debt for realized returns and "manipulate" the companies structure and operations to fit the model.

So basically, and again please correct me if I'm way off base, it would seem the most efficient way to make money would to simply fit the company's performance to the model. Obviously an increase in the value of the equity would make more money, but it seems like you could just contort a portfolio company until it gives you what you want.

Sorry if I'm not wording this question correctly.

3 Comments
 
CompBankerWhile paying down debt certainly does increase equity value, nothing juices returns quite like EBITDA growth and sale multiple expansion.

...and nothing solidifies commitments to your next fund like juiced returns!

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 

Necessitatibus harum qui sequi. Temporibus nihil modi maxime in soluta dolores qui. Molestiae consequuntur omnis doloribus nihil repellendus pariatur. Aperiam ut aut eaque quas et. Cumque facilis et ipsa debitis.

Qui quo quod commodi et. Eius possimus cupiditate ratione cupiditate ex vitae sit. Quis excepturi dolor quia culpa.

Ab distinctio fugit magni voluptas incidunt. Magnam reiciendis rem natus et odio ducimus ratione aspernatur. Consequuntur perferendis qui harum id facere similique et. In eos repellendus dolor. Natus iure at blanditiis.

Nisi qui nihil commodi veniam veritatis. Ab laudantium sequi sunt in id dignissimos voluptatem.

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 98.2%

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) 98.2%

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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”