Why Is Company Asset Valuation Necessary?

By Helene Norris


Company asset valuation has many benefits whether one wants to sell their business or keep it in operation. There are various reasons why you may need to determine your business's worth. It could be to avoid a potential legal or financial problem or even exploit an opportunity. Understanding the benefits and purposes of business valuation will help you take the important steps to keep your books in order.

If you want to buy another business or even sell yours, an appraisal will give you a detailed account of items such as expenses, revenue, liabilities and profit numbers. This information helps one project the profits that could be generated in future. It also helps one come up with a fair price for the firm.

When partners decide to part ways, it does not necessarily mean the business has to close. If one or more partners want to buy out their colleague, an appraisal could help them in this procedure. They could also be intending to have a third party buy the business. If one partner dies, his/her heirs will want to know how much their entitled share of the business amounts to.

Where a firm wants to expand its operations or obtain funding, an investor could provide a viable solution. For this to happen, they may want in exchange a portion of the profits, the right to open outlets under the brand name or part ownership. When pitching to such individuals, an appraisal will help you make a better case.

Financial institutions usually require some sort of collateral when advancing secured loans. For instance, you may obtain a loan to purchase new equipment or increase the firm's capacity. An up to date appraisal makes it easy for potential lenders to assess your firm's standing.

If a firm gets inherited by one's descendants, they could seek to reduce the tax debt by getting a low appraisal. In such cases, people go to extreme lengths to expose the problems and weaknesses of the business to third party appraisers. In case of a divorce, one party could seek to have the firm valued lowly while the other wants a high appraisal.

New owners may also feel that the existing business possesses a complementary connection with their current venture. The existing business may also bring in a reputation and customer base which would require the new owner to invest less money. When one purchases an existing firm, the company's assets need to be re-appraised. This often requires a step-up in the valuation.

For public companies, the value is directly proportional to share price. This represents the amount which a market values the business at a particular time. Although this is not the only component of value, it represents the major part. Private companies lack the benefit of such appraisal for ownership of interest because each firm is distinct. Professionals therefore have to employ economic models that estimate value based on several assumptions.

Company asset valuation is usually more of an art than a science. However, there are several economic models which experts use when they want to reach the opinion on a firm's worth. Here, scientific formulas are employed. Intangible assets like goodwill and reputation are usually hard to value. As such, any professional opinion on appraisal would only be a basis for negotiation rather than the final say on a business's worth.




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