Best M&A Valuation Courses

Accurate valuations are a vital component of almost all successful transactions.

The corollary is that almost all deals that are overvalued are doomed before they close.

The lesson here is that valuations can make or break a deal, so anybody considering a career in mergers and acquisitions needs to have a strong understanding of what goes into the cost of capital, a company’s ideal debt structure, and what’s underpinning the company’s ambitious growth.

DealRoom helped dozens of companies with their M&A process and cast an eye over some of the best valuation courses out there, all of which are collected below. 

1. Advanced Valuation at NYU Stern

Format: Online

Cost: $2,200.

Course information here.

This course is taught by Aswath Damodaran, widely regarded as ‘the father of valuations’, so from that perspective alone, it earns an entry on this list.

For those that aren’t familiar with Professor Damodaran, he has posted dozens of fascinating videos of valuations on YouTube and on his personal blog (where he has helpfully provided details on updated industry costs of capital, figures for industry Beta, and more).

The course itself is a mixture of video lectures, live online meetups, and a hands-on valuation project. Students learn how to estimate the value of businesses from pre-cash startups right the way through to industrial conglomerates.

There is an emphasis on flexibility, so a range of valuation methods are analyzed, including the book earnings, book value, revenue, EBITDA multiples, and comparables.

An excellent primer for those just starting out in valuations.

2. Business Valuation Modeling at the CFI

Format: Online

Cost: $497/year.

Course information here.

This course is part of a much larger bundle provided by the Chartered Financial Institute (CFI).

Although not a taught course - all classes are delivered through video - the material is excellent, providing beginners with a series of preparatory courses on topics like getting around Excel, accounting fundamentals, and how to read financial statements.

From there, it takes users step-by-step through every part of the valuation process.

Anybody that is familiar with the financial models generated at the CFI will know that they have high attention to detail in their models, which is reflected in the teaching.

Students will learn how to calculate WACC and Beta, construct a football field chart to summarize the various valuation methods, and complete excel-based case studies.

In total, the course is expected to take around 7.5 hours, leaving you plenty of time to take advantage of the other modules.

3. BPP Valuation Techniques (with Valuation Modeling)

Format: Online

Cost: $1,500 (£999)

Course information here.

BPP is a respected publisher of materials for all of the well-known financial exams: ACCA, CFA, QFA, CIMA, etc.

As such, although its name recognition might not immediately ring bells, the content is always strong.

This course differentiates itself from the others through online face-to-face tuition: Each student spends 24 hours with a professional tutor, who accesses their Excel models on-screen as they work together to build valuation models.

The focus of the course is to teach the two main techniques used in the valuation of companies and their interrelationships: discounted cash flow (DCF) and comparable multiples.

Unless students have previous experience in the financial industry, they are obliged to attend a preparatory course on company accounts.

There is also a significant emphasis on teamwork (online), mimicking the kind of scenarios and discussions that happen during real-life valuation scenarios.

4. Corporate Valuation at Wharton Executive Education

Format: In-person

Cost: $11,280;

Course information here.

Hosted by Wharton Executive Education, the emphasis here is as much about networking with captains of industry as the valuations themselves.

That said, these courses have a well-earned reputation for being very intense.

Spread over four days, this course aims to provide students with a solid framework for sound valuations. It provides leaders with a series of financial tools and resources that can add significant value to their company’s valuation practices.

The course teaches students to calculate corporate valuations, evaluate the financial implications of strategic decisions in different settings (including M&A and LBOs), analyze financial statements to better understand risks and opportunities, and recognize the limitations of different valuation techniques (an often underestimated takeaway).

On the surface, an expensive course, but well worth the investment for managers about to undertake an M&A process.

5. How to Prevent Valuation and Accounting Surprises During M&A Transactions

Format: Online

Cost: Included in M&A Science Academy Membership

Academy information here.

In this course, the topic of discussion is how to avoid valuation and accounting surprises during transactions.

Together, Brian Buchert, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and M&A at Church & Dwight, and PJ Patel, Co-CEO & Senior Managing Director at Valuation Research Corporation (VRC) discuss how to not overpay in deals,  the effects of a long term recession, and more.

This course is part of the M&A Science Academy, a self-paced, online M&A education training platform that features over 50 courses.

Read also:

Best M&A Training Courses & Certifications

Best Due Diligence Training Courses

Best Post Merger Integration Courses

About the Author

Bertha Graham is a professional blogger with extensive knowledge in educational report analysis. She works at papersowl.com, where she offers writing services that help scholars compile their research data and papers. Bertha is an expert at discussing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) topics. She has several high-demand publications in initial journals that serve as a standard when referencing high-quality online content.