Articles

By: Reizchel Oasay and Ron Buck

 The International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and M&A Source have recently published their third-quarter market research for 2023. The report is a statistical analysis of 389 respondents who answered this quarter’s 25-question survey.  This is the last of a three-part series where I will examine the IBBA’s and M&A Source’s market analysis.

 Asking Price vs. Actual Sale Price:

Sellers do not always get their asking price. Overall, sellers received an average of 92% of their asking price. For businesses sold in the $500K to $1M range, it was 91%.  For businesses sold in the $1M to $2M range, it was 94%.  For businesses sold in the $2M to $5M and $5M to $50M ranges, it was 101%.  In general, buyers received a similar percentage of their asking price in 3Q2023 compared to 2Q2023.  At Murphy Carolinas, our long-term average is running 97% (not including earnouts) – pricing the business correctly on the front end, with the ability to back up the price with data, greatly improves this metric – as does focusing on revenue and growth while the company is for sale.

Common Industries for Business Sales Across Price Ranges:

For businesses sold in the $500K to $1M range, the most common industries were 28% consumer goods & retails, 14% were personal services, 12% construction & engineering, and 12% business services. The most common industries in the $1M to $2M range were 20% construction & engineering, 20% consumer goods & retail, 13% personal services, 13% business services, and 10% wholesale & distribution. The most common industries in the $2M to $5M range were 20% construction & engineering, 15% manufacturing, 15% business services, 12% consumer goods & retail, and 12% personal services. And in the $5M to $50M range, the most common industries were 22% business services, 22% manufacturing, 17% health care & biotechnologies, 11% wholesale & distribution, 11% construction & engineering, and 11% basic materials & energy.

Seller Financing and Earnouts in Business Sales:

In terms of seller financing and earnout, in the $500K to $1M range, 10% consisted of seller financing and 1% was earnout. In the $1M to $2M range, 13% consisted of seller financing and 3% was earnout. In the $2M to $5M range, 19% consisted of seller financing and 3% was earnout. In the $5M to $50M range, 7% consisted of seller financing and 3% was earnout.

Primary Valuation Metrics and Multiples Used in Business Sales:

Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) remained the primary valuation metrics/multiple types. Specifically, SDE (vs. EBITDA) was used 80% of the time for the $500 to $1M range, 83% for the $1M to $2M range, 63% for the $2M to $5M range, and 6% for $5M to $50M range (which is historically where the shift occurs).

Is Net Working Capital Included in the Price?

Multiples excluding working capital (vs. including it) were used 77% of the time for the $500 to $1M range, 66% for the $1M to $2M range, 64% for the $2M to $5M range, but only 16% for the $5M to $50M range (which is historically where the shift occurs).

Expectations for Business Valuation Multiples in the Next Three Months:

In terms of expectations for business valuation multiples in the next three months, most multiples are expected to increase for the following range: 46% of respondents for deals valued in the $500K to $1M range. In the following ranges are expected to stay the same: 46% of respondents for deals valued in the $1M to $2M range, 51% of respondents for deals valued in the $2M to $5M range, and 58% of respondents for deals valued in the $5M to $50M range. If not staying the same, most expect multiples to increase.