Price paid vs use/source of funds

Hi,

I am a bit confused. Say you want to acquire a company and that you value it at $50m (5x LTM revenue, the EV correct?) which has $10m of debt and $5m in cash.

The TEV is $50m, the Equity Price is $45m.

Would the purchaser pay the TEV or the Equity price? What are the implications? 

To add to my confusion : say purchaser pays  the Equity price, the use of funds will be : $45 (equity) + $10m (debt) while the source of funds will be $5 (target cash) + $50 (equity). So the table will show $55m on both sides. Does that means the transaction costs the buyer a total of $55m and not $45m?

How different would the situation look if using the TEV as a starting point instead? Would the transaction be cheaper? 

What to choose if the buyer wants to go for a cash free/debt free transaction? 

Thanks! 

2 Comments
 

For cash free debt free transaction you are right on sources and uses. It would "cost" the buyer $50m or the TEV.

Sources: $5m target cash, $50m cash from sponsor

Uses: $45m cash to sellers, $10m debt paydown

Now, it would only cost the buyer $50m if they funded it all themselves. Let's say the company you are acquiring has $5m of EBITDA. In that case the sources & uses might look like the following:

Sources: $5m target cash, $20m cash from sponsor, $30m newly issued debt (6x EBITDA)

Uses: $45m cash to sellers, $10m debt paydown

 
Most Helpful

Consectetur aut omnis nesciunt possimus aperiam labore quia. Impedit nihil cumque molestias excepturi et ut. Aperiam laboriosam sint autem et. Qui et blanditiis culpa aut sed occaecati. Qui voluptas beatae incidunt eum ratione soluta veritatis.

Ut voluptates autem nulla voluptas adipisci natus voluptatem. Eum voluptatibus ut dolor sapiente magnam earum. Non est alias aut tenetur. Tempora voluptatibus atque facilis in est ut dolores temporibus. Optio omnis sunt autem ab dolor quidem. Non libero deleniti quisquam velit quis eum dolore.

Atque voluptatum et commodi eos natus modi. Qui vero quo quae voluptatem quasi commodi. Voluptatibus ut et eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 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

September 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

September 2026 Private Equity

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

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (39) $80
  • 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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”