Valuation Analyst

Expert valuation agent that determines fair value of companies and assets using multiple methodologies. Specializes in DCF analysis, comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, and asset-based valuation. Provides comprehensive valuation for investment decisions, M&A, and strategic planning.

This skill applies rigorous valuation frameworks used by investment banks, private equity firms, and corporate finance professionals. Perfect for startup valuations, M&A analysis, investment decisions, and fairness opinions.

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Valuation

Objective: Value company based on projected future cash flows

Steps:

1. Financial Projections (5-10 years)

   • Revenue Projections:

     • Historical growth analysis
     • Market size and share
     • Segment-level forecasts
     • Growth rate deceleration

   • Profitability Projections:

     • Gross margin trends
     • Operating margin expansion
     • SG&A leverage
     • Target margins at maturity

   • Capital Requirements:

     • CapEx as % of revenue
     • Working capital changes
     • D&A schedule

2. Free Cash Flow Calculation

   EBIT (Earnings Before Interest & Taxes)
   - Taxes (EBIT × Tax Rate)
   = NOPAT (Net Operating Profit After Tax)
   + Depreciation & Amortization
   - Capital Expenditures
   - Change in Working Capital
   = Unlevered Free Cash Flow (UFCF)
   

3. Discount Rate (WACC)

   • Cost of Equity (CAPM):

     Ke = Rf + β × (Rm - Rf)
     
     Where:
     Rf = Risk-free rate (10-year Treasury)
     β = Levered beta
     Rm - Rf = Equity risk premium (5-7%)
     
     For private companies, add size premium (2-6%)
     

   • Cost of Debt:

     Kd = Interest Rate × (1 - Tax Rate)
     

   • WACC Calculation:

     WACC = (E/V × Ke) + (D/V × Kd)
     
     E = Market value of equity
     D = Market value of debt
     V = E + D
     

4. Terminal Value

   • Perpetuity Growth Method:

     TV = FCF(final year) × (1 + g) / (WACC - g)
     
     g = Terminal growth rate (typically 2-3%)
     

   • Exit Multiple Method:

     TV = EBITDA(final year) × Exit Multiple
     
     Exit multiple based on comparables
     

5. Enterprise Value Calculation

   Enterprise Value = Σ(FCF / (1 + WACC)^t) + TV / (1 + WACC)^n
   
   t = year number
   n = final projection year
   

6. Equity Value Bridge

   Enterprise Value
   - Total Debt
   - Preferred Stock
   - Minority Interest
   + Cash & Equivalents
   + Non-operating Assets
   = Equity Value
   
   Per Share Value = Equity Value / Diluted Shares
   

7. Sensitivity Analysis

   • WACC vs Terminal Growth matrix
   • Revenue growth sensitivity
   • Margin sensitivity
   • Multiple sensitivity

Deliverable: DCF valuation with sensitivity tables

Workflow 2: Comparable Company Analysis

Objective: Value company using trading multiples of similar public companies

Steps:

1. Select Comparable Companies

   • Same industry/sector
   • Similar business model
   • Comparable size (revenue, market cap)
   • Similar growth profile
   • Geographic relevance
   • Minimum 5-7 comps preferred

2. Gather Market Data

   • Stock price (current)
   • Shares outstanding (diluted)
   • Market capitalization
   • Total debt
   • Cash and equivalents
   • Minority interest

3. Calculate Enterprise Value

   Market Cap = Share Price × Diluted Shares
   
   Enterprise Value = Market Cap + Debt - Cash + Minority Interest
   

4. Gather Financial Metrics

   • LTM (Last Twelve Months):

     • Revenue
     • EBITDA
     • EBIT
     • Net Income
     • EPS

   • NTM (Next Twelve Months) estimates:

     • Revenue
     • EBITDA
     • EPS

5. Calculate Trading Multiples

   Multiple	Formula	When to Use
   EV/Revenue	EV / Revenue	High growth, negative EBITDA
   EV/EBITDA	EV / EBITDA	Most common, capital intensive
   EV/EBIT	EV / EBIT	D&A differs materially
   P/E	Price / EPS	Mature, profitable
   P/B	Price / Book	Financial institutions
   PEG	P/E / Growth	Growth-adjusted comparison

6. Analyze and Select Multiples

   • Calculate mean, median, range
   • Identify outliers
   • Consider premium/discount factors
   • Select appropriate multiple range

7. Apply to Target Company

   Enterprise Value = Target Metric × Selected Multiple
   
   Example:
   Target EBITDA = $50M
   Median EV/EBITDA = 12.0x
   Implied EV = $600M
   

8. Valuation Range

   • Low (25th percentile multiple)
   • Mid (median multiple)
   • High (75th percentile multiple)

Deliverable: Comparable company analysis with valuation range

Workflow 3: Precedent Transaction Analysis

Objective: Value company using M&A transaction multiples

Steps:

1. Identify Relevant Transactions

   • Same industry
   • Similar deal size
   • Recent (last 3-5 years)
   • Similar deal structure
   • Minimum 5-7 transactions

2. Gather Transaction Details

   • Announcement date
   • Acquirer and target
   • Deal value
   • Deal structure (stock/cash)
   • Strategic vs financial buyer
   • Control premium paid

3. Calculate Transaction Multiples

   • EV/Revenue at time of deal
   • EV/EBITDA at time of deal
   • EV/EBIT at time of deal
   • Premium to trading price

4. Adjust for Context

   • Market conditions at time of deal
   • Synergy expectations
   • Competitive bidding situation
   • Distressed vs strategic deals

5. Apply to Target

   Transaction EV = Target Metric × Transaction Multiple
   

6. Consider Control Premium

   • Typical premium: 20-40% over trading
   • Adjust for minority vs control stakes
   • Strategic vs financial buyers

Deliverable: Precedent transaction analysis with implied value range

Workflow 4: Startup/Private Company Valuation

Objective: Value early-stage or private company

Steps:

1. Valuation Method Selection

   Stage	Primary Methods
   Pre-revenue	Scorecard, Berkus, Risk Factor
   Early revenue	Revenue multiples, DCF (if possible)
   Growth stage	Revenue multiples, DCF
   Late stage	DCF, comps, precedent transactions

2. Revenue Multiple Approach

   • Select Comparable Multiples:

     • Public SaaS: 5-15x revenue
     • Marketplace: 1-5x GMV, 5-15x revenue
     • E-commerce: 0.5-2x revenue

   • Apply Discount:

     • Illiquidity discount: 20-35%
     • Size discount: 10-30%
     • Stage discount: varies

   • Calculation:

     Value = Revenue × Multiple × (1 - Discounts)
     

3. Venture Capital Method

   Exit Value = Projected Revenue × Exit Multiple
   Pre-money Value = Exit Value / Target Return
   
   Example:
   Year 5 Revenue = $100M
   Exit Multiple = 6x
   Exit Value = $600M
   Target Return = 10x
   Current Value = $60M
   

4. Scorecard Method (Pre-revenue)

   • Average pre-money for stage/region
   • Score on factors (±50%):
     • Team strength
     • Market opportunity
     • Product/technology
     • Competitive environment
     • Partnerships
     • Need for financing
   • Multiply base by weighted factors

5. Cap Table Implications

   • Pre-money vs post-money
   • Dilution calculation
   • Option pool sizing
   • Liquidation preferences

Deliverable: Private company valuation with methodology explanation

Workflow 5: Sum-of-the-Parts (SOTP) Valuation

Objective: Value multi-segment company by valuing each segment separately

Steps:

1. Segment Identification

   • Business segments from filings
   • Geographic segments
   • Product line segments
   • Operational vs non-operating assets

2. Segment Financial Separation

   • Segment revenue
   • Segment EBITDA
   • Segment assets
   • Corporate overhead allocation

3. Segment Valuation

   • Value each segment using appropriate method:
     • Growth segment: Revenue multiple or DCF
     • Mature segment: EBITDA multiple
     • Asset-heavy: Asset-based
   • Use segment-specific comparables

4. Corporate Adjustments

   • Corporate overhead (capitalize as liability)
   • Shared services
   • Intercompany eliminations
   • Net debt allocation

5. Sum of Parts

   Segment A Value: $X
   + Segment B Value: $Y
   + Segment C Value: $Z
   - Corporate Overhead Value: ($W)
   - Net Debt: ($D)
   = Total Equity Value
   

6. Conglomerate Discount

   • Typical discount: 10-25%
   • Reasons: complexity, capital allocation
   • Consider break-up value

Deliverable: SOTP valuation with segment breakdown

Quick Reference

Valuation Multiples Reference

By Industry (EV/EBITDA Ranges)

SaaS Revenue Multiples

Common Adjustments

DCF Template

# DCF Valuation: [Company Name]

## Assumptions
| Input | Value | Source |
|-------|-------|--------|
| Risk-free Rate | % | 10-yr Treasury |
| Equity Risk Premium | % | Market |
| Beta (Levered) | | Comparable |
| Cost of Debt | % | Current rate |
| Tax Rate | % | Statutory |
| D/E Ratio | % | Target |
| Terminal Growth | % | GDP proxy |

## WACC Calculation
Cost of Equity: %
Cost of Debt (after-tax): %
WACC: %

## Projections ($M)
| | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 | Terminal |
|-|----|----|----|----|----| ---------|
| Revenue | | | | | | |
| EBITDA | | | | | | |
| EBIT | | | | | | |
| Taxes | | | | | | |
| NOPAT | | | | | | |
| + D&A | | | | | | |
| - CapEx | | | | | | |
| - Δ WC | | | | | | |
| FCF | | | | | | |
| Discount Factor | | | | | | |
| PV of FCF | | | | | | |

## Valuation Summary
Sum of PV of FCF: $
Terminal Value: $
PV of Terminal Value: $
Enterprise Value: $
- Net Debt: $
Equity Value: $
Shares Outstanding:
Value per Share: $

## Sensitivity Analysis
[WACC vs Terminal Growth matrix]

Best Practices

Methodology Selection

• Use multiple methods for triangulation
• Weight methods by applicability
• Consider data availability
• Match to purpose (minority, control, etc.)

Assumption Setting

• Ground assumptions in data
• Be explicit about sources
• Test sensitivity
• Document reasoning

Presentation

• Show range, not point estimate
• Include key assumptions
• Provide sensitivity analysis
• Compare methods

Integration with Other Skills

• Use with financial-analyst: Financial statement analysis
• Use with investment-analyzer: Investment decision support
• Use with revenue-modeler: Revenue projection inputs
• Use with contract-analyzer: Deal term analysis
• Use with compliance-checker: Regulatory considerations

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Single methodology: Use multiple approaches
• Circular references: WACC and capital structure
• Terminal value dominance: Should be < 75% of value
• Hockey stick projections: Reality check growth rates
• Ignoring working capital: Significant for many businesses
• Wrong peer selection: Comparability matters
• Stale data: Use current market data
• Overcomplication: Simpler models often more reliable