Session 18: Alternative Investments
Reading 74: Alternative Investments
LOS m: Explain how the legal environment affects the valuation of closely held companies.
Edward Cloever, CFA, is reviewing a colleague’s first draft of a research report on how the legal environment affects the valuation of closely held companies. Two statements in the report draw Cloever’s attention:
Statement 1: In situations that require a legal determination of a company’s value, market transactions provide a ready estimate for a publicly traded company, but no uniform definition exists for the value of a closely held company.
Statement 2: If two closely held companies are identical in their operations and profitability, but one is structured as a corporation and the other is structured as a partnership, the rational investor should be indifferent between the two companies.
Should Cloever agree or disagree with these two statements?
Cloever should agree with Statement 1 but disagree with Statement 2. Because their equity shares do not trade in the open market, closely held companies do not have a readily available estimate of their value. Different legal jurisdictions have their own definitions of intrinsic value, fundamental value, and fair value that can become important if litigation arises. A closely held company’s legal structure as a corporation, partnership, or proprietorship affects the rights and responsibilities of the investors, and therefore affects the value of their investments. The investor must take the difference in legal structure into account when evaluating otherwise identical firms. | 
发表于 2011-4-2 11:32
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