‘Fanciful’ projections make DCF unreliable valuation tool in Delaware appraisal case
Management projections are the sine qua non of a discounted cash flow analysis, and, in a recent statutory appraisal action involving the pet product giant PetSmart, the Delaware Court of Chancery found they did not cut the mustard. The court called the projections, “at best, fanciful,” and concluded the most accurate measure of fair value was the merger consideration.
Kassab v Kasab
In determining the fair value of petitioner’s interest in two family businesses that hold real estate, New York court (Second Department) adopts expert’s decision not to apply marketability discount, noting valuation “already relies upon market exposure.”
Court Adopts DLOM-Free Valuation of Realty Holding Company
In determining the fair value of petitioner’s interest in two family businesses that hold real estate, New York court (Second Department) adopts expert’s decision not to apply marketability discount, noting valuation “already relies upon market exposure.”
DFC Global Corp. v. Muirfield Value Partners, L.P. (II)
State Supreme Court declines to create presumption for appraisal actions that deal price is best indicator of value when merger was arm’s-length transaction, but court finds Chancery’s valuation approach lacked support in record and requires revaluation.
High Court Finds Chancery’s Weighting of Values Unexplained and Inexplicable
State Supreme Court declines to create presumption for appraisal actions that deal price is best indicator of value when merger was arm’s-length transaction, but court finds Chancery’s valuation approach lacked support in record and requires revaluation.
NAV Alone Fails to Capture Distributional Interest’s Fair Value
Appellate court affirms fair value determination of distributional interest in family farm based on multiprong valuation; company is not a holding company, and net asset valuation alone fails to capture fair value of dissociating members’ interest.
Work File Checklist for Discount Rates Under New Fair Value Regulations
Under the new requirements for fair value for financial reporting, valuation experts will be expected to have a certain amount of documentation in their work files. For holders of the new CEIV credential, a work file will be reviewed within the first year ...
ACP Master, Ltd. v. Sprint Corp.
In joint fiduciary-appraisal action centering on Sprint’s acquisition of minority interest in related entity, Chancery says merger was entirely fair and adopts respondent expert’s DCF analysis; huge value gap is 90% due to experts’ choice of projections.
DCF Projections Failed to Reflect Target’s Operative Reality, Chancery Says
In joint fiduciary-appraisal action centering on Sprint’s acquisition of minority interest in related entity, Chancery says merger was entirely fair and adopts respondent expert’s DCF analysis; huge value gap is 90% due to experts’ choice of projections.
Back-solving Unobservable Trademark Royalty Rates—The Case of ITT vs Xylem Group
Intangible assets like trademarks and patents are typically not traded on active markets, and the measurement of their fair values is based on valuation models that use significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs (i.e., guideline royalty rates under the relief-from-royalty method). Although widely accepted, all authors and lecturers emphasize the difficulties when determining guideline royalty rates under this method. Often, royalty rate analyses fail to survive audit, appeal, or other scrutiny. In developing robust Level 3 ...
Statutory Fair Value in Dissenting Shareholder Cases: Part II
This article continues the discussion of statutory appraisal that was presented in Part I in the prior issue of Business Valuation Review. Fair value, the predominant standard of value employed by state courts to value dissenters' shares in appraisal cases is, is determined by state law. In most states, fair value is the shareholder's pro rata portion of the value of a company's equity. This article discusses the approaches used by the Delaware courts' views ...
Absence of Noncompete Drives Goodwill Valuation in Liquidation Sale
In case of voluntary corporate dissolution under judicial supervision, appeals court finds receiver’s minimum bid value was based on correct standard of value (liquidation value) and calculated auction sales price reflected all elements of a going concern ...
Court rejects experts' fair value determinations in Minnesota buyout case
The plaintiff is the “prevailing party,” a Minnesota district court recently decided, allowing the minority owner of a well-known family business to sell her share for over $40 million. The valuation trial featured high-caliber experts who disagreed about every input and assumption underlying their discounted cash flow analyses.
In Big Buyout Ruling, Minnesota Court Rejects DLOM in Calculating Fair Value
In a forced buyout, court says experts were too partisan to their clients, compromising value analysis; court performs its own valuation using DCF to determine fair value of grocery business and rejects DLOM because no unfair transfer of wealth occurs.
Lund v. Lund (I)
In a forced buyout, court says experts were too partisan to their clients, compromising value analysis; court performs its own valuation using DCF to determine fair value of grocery business and rejects DLOM because no unfair transfer of wealth occurs.
In re Appraisal of SWS Group, Inc.
In statutory appraisal, Chancery relies solely on DCF analysis, noting the instant case involving a bank holding company raises a unique situation in terms of management projections and whether and how to account for creation of excess regulatory capital.
Chancery’s DCF Upends Appraisal Arbitrage Strategy
In statutory appraisal, Chancery relies solely on DCF analysis, noting the instant case involving a bank holding company raises a unique situation in terms of management projections and whether and how to account for creation of excess regulatory capital.
New fair value rules and performance standards highlight ASA event
New fair value regulations and the Mandatory Performance Framework (MPF) apply to everyone, not just holders of the new CEIV credential.
In re PetSmart, Inc.
In statutory appraisal, Chancery decides to “defer” to deal price, citing a robust sales process and well-functioning market; petitioners’ DCF analysis was not a useful valuation tool where it was based on, “at best, fanciful” management projections.
‘Fanciful’ Projections Make DCF an Unreliable Tool in Appraisal Proceeding
In statutory appraisal, Chancery decides to “defer” to deal price, citing a robust sales process and well-functioning market; petitioners’ DCF analysis was not a useful valuation tool where it was based on, “at best, fanciful” management projections.
AICPA issues its first wave of CEIV credentials
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has doled out its first batch of certifications for the new Certified in Entity and Intangible Valuation™ (CEIV™) credential for individuals doing fair value measurements.
SEC’s Daubert Challenge to Securities Valuation Testimony Fizzles
In an SEC case requiring valuation of restricted securities, court admits most of the testimony of parties’ experts; experts need not be specialists in given field and need not demonstrate familiarity with USPAP or SSVS to qualify under Daubert, court fin ...
New Jersey Court Finds Defendant’s Actions Justify DLOM in Forced Buyout
In New Jersey fair value determination, following precedent, court finds defendant’s conduct justifies use of a marketability discount because he was oppressing shareholder who created “extraordinary circumstances” necessitating forced buyout; court rejec ...
Chancery Says Solid Sales Process Lends Credibility to Deal Price
In appraisal action, Chancery says final merger consideration best represents fair value, noting sales process led to “meaningful price discovery”; court says with DCF too much depends on assumptions; small changes may have outsize impact on value range.
Judicial Appraisal Lacks Valuation Evidence and Gets Dinged on Appeal
Appeals court scraps judicial appraisal, finding it was not based on competent evidence; in valuing dissenting shareholder’s interest in auto dealership, trial court ignored expert opinions but failed to detail methodology supporting its valuation.