M&A Deal Terms: Average Capital Structure

/in , /by Al Statz

The following chart from GF Data shows the average capital structure over the past 5 years for middle market business acquisitions. Equity contributions have varied only slightly over that time, in the range of 46% to 49%. Overall there was a slight rise during COVID, but nothing major. There are two different stories based on deal size however. In the $10-50 million total enterprise value (TEV) bracket, average equity contribution dropped. However, for deals in the $50 to 250 million TEV range, average equity share remained at or reached the mid-50s, suggesting the room for continued valuation increases is greater on sub-$50 million deals.

GF Data collects and publishes proprietary business valuation, volume, leverage and key deal term data on private equity sponsored merger and acquisition transactions with enterprise values of $10 to 250 million. GF Data gives M&A deal participants and advisors more reliable external information to use in valuing companies and negotiating transactions.

For advice on exit planning or selling a business, contact Al Statz, CEO of Exit Strategies Group, Inc., at alstatz@exitstrategiesgroup.com.