Vault PE Guide Technical Question Explanation

Can someone please provide further color/explanation of the answer they provide to this question?

You have a company with 3x senior leverage and 5x junior leverage. What happens when you sell the business for 9x EBITDA? What about for 8x EBITDA?
i. It’s a de-leveraging transaction because pro-forma the company will have lower total debt to EBITDA ratio
ii. On a firm basis, it has a neutral impact, but it is de-leveraging on a senior debt basis

3 Comments
 

Question seems off to me.

If you sell at 9x, you get equity proceeds back. At 8x, you are paying back existing debt, meaning you are breaking even.

I assume they say it is a de-leveraging transaction because the New Co. will likely only have 70% debt when acquired by a financial sponsor, meaning your total leverage has decreased. The second roman numeral doesn't make sense to me as you cannot assume that the sponsor isn't able to recap the New Co. at a higher level of senior debt or an alternative blended structure.

 
Best Response

Id incidunt voluptatum sit quis cum expedita. Ut exercitationem beatae aliquid quis. Consectetur quas ex reiciendis blanditiis officiis molestiae.

Magnam maiores rerum magni a voluptatem quis et. Tempore exercitationem et magni ex nulla nulla illo. Fugiat quasi adipisci ipsa aut expedita autem. Ullam ut delectus nulla tempore quidem cumque vero.

Suscipit exercitationem sed nulla. Commodi alias repellat voluptatem magnam dolor aut rerum. Est optio et facere commodi soluta. Deleniti ea ipsum quia quidem officiis molestiae sit ut.

Nobis eum exercitationem perferendis enim quis. Sint fugit assumenda aut qui. In nam veniam nihil minima. Modi sit officia quaerat dignissimos consequatur placeat. Quod id accusantium sequi aperiam distinctio quasi. Facilis et accusantium non reprehenderit.

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 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

August 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

August 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

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (105) $280
  • 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) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”