The Financial Reporting Blog

A weekly update on financial reporting topics curated by Mercer Capital’s Financial Reporting Valuation professionals


Credit Marks, Asset Yields and Dividend Capacity Are Going to Get More Scrutiny

Against the backdrop of depreciation, as with Prospect Capital Corp. and Fifth Street Finance Corp., heightened investor scrutiny may be on the horizon for BDCs dealing with issues like fair value marks and lower yields. Companies can increase leverage to offset lower yields, but there is a limit to how much leverage BDCs can employ and what investors and rating agencies will accept. High payout ratio companies like BDCs are susceptible to dividend cuts. Lower payout ratio entities such as commercial banks are not as long as credit quality is okay, but future dividend hikes may be much more limited than envisioned by investors for the same reason.

Noncompete Agreements for Section 280G Compliance

Golden parachute payments have long been a controversial topic. These payments, typically occurring when a public company undergoes a change-in-control, can result in huge windfalls for senior executives and in some cases draw the ire of political activists and shareholder advisory groups. Golden parachute payments can also lead to significant tax consequences for both the company and the individual. Strategies to mitigate these tax risks include careful design of compensation agreements and consideration of noncompete agreements to reduce the likelihood of additional excise taxes.

Credit Spread Blues & Portfolio Valuation Marks

After being bloodied by widening spreads in the second half of 2014, any hopes that credit investors may have cherished for relief in 2015 remain unfulfilled through the end of January. Time will tell whether wider spreads are here to stay, or if fund flows to high-yield credit and leveraged loan funds will turn positive again, increasing the supply of capital to borrowers. In the meantime, managers responsible for setting fair value marks will need to carefully consider how best to take account of current market conditions.

Box (Finally) Goes Public: Which Price is Right?

Box, a cloud-based enterprise, began trading publicly today after delaying the process last year. Since then, the company was valued at nearly $730 million less than that implied by the Series F round just six months prior.

Non-GAAP Measures are Gaining Popularity in IPOs

Non-GAAP performance measures are becoming more and more popular, particularly for companies looking to raise capital in an IPO. Although financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP provide the public a standardized basis for historical and comparable financial statements, the use of non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted EBITDA or adjusted gross profit, can allow management to emphasize alternative measures.

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