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 Wall Street Prep Quicklessons

A Simple LBO Model

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Welcome to the Wall Street Prep Quick Lesson Series!

In this lesson, we’ll build a leveraged buyout (LBO) model, given some operating and valuation assumptions, in Excel. The goal of this lesson is to show you that an LBO model is actually a very simple transaction at its core, and is quite similar to the mechanics involved when purchasing a home.

Instructor’s Note: In the comments section, in front of row #48 (LBO debt, beginning of period), the note is written as “LTM Debt * LBO Debt Capacity.” It should instead be labeled as “LTM EBITDA * LBO Debt Capacity.”

Before You Watch: Before diving in to the videos below, please read through this LBO Quick Lesson Primer, and be sure to download this lesson’s Excel model template: LBO Excel model template.

Building a Simple LBO Model  – Video 1 of 3

Building a Simple LBO Model  – Video 2 of 3

Building a Simple LBO Model  – Video 3 of 3

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Syafiq
October 3, 2017 10:20 am

Thank you for the amazing introduction to LBO. The analogy to buying a house does make the concept much easier to understand. Good job for explaining.

Gabriel Lukuc
March 4, 2019 10:27 am

If I am not mistaking, you did not take into account the $600M of existing debt when inputting for the debt remaining balance in cell D42 for the second video at minute 5:09. Shouldn’t cell D42 be : D51+C42? Meaning the end of year new debt balance of $12,822M +… Read more »

Video Time
5:09
Jim
April 26, 2020 7:35 pm

When answering question 2 of the second group of questions “What is the highest purchase price the sponsors would be willing to pay for XYZ shares today?”, why do we subtract Net Debt again? I mean we are using J59 which is equal to D48 + J56, where D48 was… Read more »

PLU
September 30, 2024 7:41 pm

Amazing videos, amazing explanation, everything was super well explained. CONGRATULATIONS

David Sovelius
September 1, 2024 8:37 am

Thanks for sharing this information. This was excellent.

Jefferson Herrera
July 10, 2024 4:51 pm

Hi, Why is it that in the Question #1 your formula to calculate EV is EV=6.5x*EBITDA instead of EV=6.5x*EBITDA + Net Debt?

jeff
February 21, 2024 1:26 pm

Many thanks for simplifying this concept for us

Alex
January 13, 2024 2:05 pm

Hi thank you for the videos. I have a question regarding video 2. Why did your “optional paydown” figures change when putting in the values for your cash, debt, and net debt values ?

Jami
December 23, 2023 9:37 am

Thank you for this! I have a question regarding the table of Sources & Uses: In the uses should we add a cash injection of $50m in addition to the EPP and refinanced debt (600 here according to your assumption to not account for $100m cash in the target BS)… Read more »

Shivam Shukla
June 18, 2023 3:57 am

Thank for well explained LBO, use case made us to understand concept easily.

Muhammad Waqas
June 13, 2023 9:33 am

Can I get more lectures on Advanced Financial Accounting along with IFRS????

Kevin
February 10, 2023 4:09 am

Given you use “Free cash flow after required debt paydown” and you keep it stable @8%… it seems you are missing out any operational leverage effect on the FCF, right?

JohnC
November 13, 2022 6:37 pm

This is very well done. Simple framework/concept and helpful excel format. Doing it myself really helps to bridge knowing to understanding fully. What are some of the bigger qualitative risks or pushbacks a bank might point to in such a case? Thanks!

sidharth
September 23, 2022 6:36 am

plz share the excel template

Church
May 16, 2022 12:44 pm

I did not get the year 2 to year 9 debt schedule computation for optional paydown.

Dasola
March 3, 2022 11:11 am

Does this analysis ultimately mean that company XYZ is undervalued and that is why the financial sponsor is able to pay a healthy premium today to buy out the shareholders? Thanks

Question
December 8, 2021 3:28 pm

The equity value upon exit is less than its current market cap and we would be paying a premium. Why would you do this?

Ruri Dikgang
August 17, 2021 1:23 pm

Absolutely brilliant, I want more

Coco
June 16, 2021 8:09 am

I am wondering when you calculating optional paydown for 2013E (second video 3:18), you add back current cash balance $100, but shouldn’t that $100 be used to retiring current debt? So when calculating the highest price to buying the company, we subtract net debt($500) rather than debt($600). We can’t use… Read more »

Paul
May 24, 2021 8:02 am

Awesome, thank you!

Steve Chick
March 18, 2021 3:29 am

excellent and concise

Isabella Li
March 9, 2021 1:32 pm

I have one question about the calculation of cash in the second video. The cash left is the remaining cash from the previous year+cash earned-cash paid. Why the cash paid only include optional debt paydown not a required paydown of 1,000?

Liability
December 14, 2020 6:50 pm

Hi, why are we using the exit equity value and then looking for the maximum return in 4 years in question #3? (to the 4th power)

Kendall Huckins
June 30, 2020 1:47 am

I am confused. At the end of video 2, the ending LBO Debt in row 51 is 11,291.2 in 2014E. Then, in video 3, it is 11,241.2. Why are we taking out a minimum cash balance twice?

Yuqing
April 4, 2020 7:59 am

Has the debt calculation included the interest? It was not mentioned at all in the calculation.

Tariq
February 26, 2020 3:24 am

Hello, what buttons did you press on the keyboard to calculate present value using 25% IRR? so what im asking what do you press to get the inverted V symbol?

Video Time
3.33
Pamela
February 15, 2020 11:23 am

Does the “required cash paid down“ in cell C38 refer to the same “required cash paid down” in B38?

Prof DR MAL
April 10, 2019 8:03 am

Do you have any video on Project Financial Modeling ie to determine the financial viability of a proposed project (before embarking on it)?
There is a new methodology called Engineering Finance used to enhance the ROI of projects and ensuring its long-term sustainability… can you elaborate on it?

Laura
April 10, 2018 4:24 pm

So helpful and clear! love it.

Hassan Jatta
April 5, 2018 12:44 pm

Very interesting. I hope you will make the videos easy to download so that one can watch them offline over and over again.

You nailed it. I can’t wait to watch the next videos.

Thanks a lot.

supriya
March 3, 2018 3:40 am

Thank You Sir,
The video very useful.
The LBO model with example is more easy to understand rather than reading the process.
And I think overall process of LBO analysis with decision making was covered in this video.

oluwaseun
February 9, 2018 10:18 am

AM VERY GRATEFULL.

Shashank Didwania
January 31, 2018 8:15 am

Thank you for the quick revision of LBO model….happy to have this free service

MH
November 15, 2017 8:53 am

at 4:08 of the second video (debt schedule), Why is the free cash flow value taken from end of 2013 rather than the start (2012A) ? i.e. why 528 and not 420?

ROWLAND
September 19, 2017 10:17 pm

please can i access this videos on youtube so i can download for references.

Vishal
June 27, 2017 7:36 pm

Thank you for sharing this video on how to run a LBO analysis. It was very helpful and definitely offers a macro view on what such an analysis would capture. In a real life LBO analysis, how does one choose a stock price to base the analysis on? is this… Read more »

Jay sehhat
June 20, 2017 2:09 am

Hi I just become a subscriber to wall street prep you send me the quick lesson: simple LBO model and I can not download the excel template I get the nonsense pages, sense I got the premium from you, I just want to make sure I won’t have problem with… Read more »

Jalal
May 17, 2017 6:21 pm

Hi,

How come you subtracted 1 from the current share price when calculating the premium in the last question 3?

Rod
May 16, 2017 6:01 pm

Hey, Looking at the 2nd video, didn’t you miss the initial $600 debt for the starting debt on D48? Meaning that your starting debt balance at the beginning of 2013 is the 14,400 from the loan PLUS the 600 from the period before. Please let me know if this is… Read more »

Adrian
May 2, 2017 12:44 pm

Nice simple and clear presentation

josh
April 22, 2017 3:57 pm

There is a spelling error in your primer — first paragraph under Exit Assumptions

Marina
April 8, 2017 1:56 am

Hi,

I am not able to access the videos. I only see the titles of the videos.

Ben
April 7, 2017 10:04 pm

hey, i dont think the videos are showing up.

Varun Sood
April 2, 2017 3:59 am

Just 1 thing: In the comments section, in front of row #48 (LBO debt, beginning of period), you have written it as LTM Debt * LBO Debt Capacity. I think it shoould be LTM EBITDA * LBO Debt Capacity…

Francis
March 21, 2017 11:40 pm

Great work and I would like to get you to PNG to develop a finance school if possible.

Ewin Alarcon
January 25, 2017 9:33 pm

Looking forward to the next lessons in Financial Modelling!

Abraham Gray
January 11, 2017 5:37 am

Hi Administrator,

Thanks so much for the first lesson.
Hope to see subsequent lesson.

Regards,

Jean
October 26, 2016 10:53 pm

Hi there,

I could not get access to the video. Any chance to check the tech issue?

Thanks!

BR

Jean

Marcel
October 19, 2016 6:42 pm

Hi,

What is the keyboard shortcut to copy your formula across horizontally to the end of the data? For example, at time 7:15 in the first video.

Thanks,

Marcel

joe
August 14, 2016 10:08 pm

Hi Mat,

Would you please tell me how to download this video for an offline review?

Regards,
jd