• New York Institute of Finance

Mergers and Acquisitions: Free Cash Flow Modeling

Learn how to evaluate a company’s financial performance to determine acquisition opportunities.

Learn how to use free cash flow modeling

This course looks at how to use free cash flow concepts to analyse and evaluate corporate performance in order to make better capital budgeting and acquisition decisions.

You’ll get an introduction to free cash flow and its components and learn about cost of capital. You’ll also look at how free cash flow can be used in acquisitions, and explore some common implementation issues.

Skip to 0 minutes and 1 second It’s clear we’re entering a period where mergers and acquisitions will be a key part of the business and financial landscape. How will all this imminent M&A activity affect you? And what are you going to do to be prepared? The accelerating M&A trend will have an impact on you whether you are an investment banker or an entrepreneur, a strategic planner or market regulator in corporate finance or R&D. To get the greatest benefit out of a well-timed merger or a strategic acquisition, you’ll need deep knowledge of the structure, the steps, the pitfalls, and rewards of a potential deal.

Skip to 0 minutes and 36 seconds This timely professional certificate course brought to you by the New York Institute of Finance, is designed to provide you with a detailed overview of the entire M&A process, from finding the right opportunity, to analysing the risks and benefits, then structuring, and finally, closing the deal. This course will also introduce you to the key M&A decision making metric, free cash flow, as well as the accounting methods for mergers, acquisitions, and equity investments. Get ready for the M&A boom, and become an expert in all aspects of this essential business dynamic by enrolling in this course. You will be guided by Jeff Hooke and Steve Literati, seasoned M&A subject matter experts on the faculty at NYIF.

Skip to 1 minute and 21 seconds Register now for the New York Institute of Finance’s professional certificate in M&A so you can make the most out of the opportunities ahead.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow components and the objective of the firm

Week 2 - Capital and Modified Free Cash Flow

The cost of capital, capital budgeting using free cash flow, and modified free cash flow

Week 3 - Evaluating & Integrating Acquisitions

Using free cash flow to evaluate acquisition opportunities, and the integration of acquisitions and its issues

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Investigate how to develop a Free Cash Flow approach to Incentive Compensation
  • Compare the relationship between Free Cash Flow and Economic Value Added Value Acquisitions using Free Cash Flow
  • Identify the steps to use Free Cash Flow for Capital Budgeting Decisions
  • Describe the steps to calculate Cost of Capital
  • Explain the Drivers of Free Cash Flow
  • Compare Free Cash Flow to Net Income
  • Identify Free Cash Flow from Accounting Data

Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for financial analysts and associates. It is also suitable for directors and managers who have transitioned, or hope to transition, to mergers and acquisitions from other areas, such as equities or fixed income.

To get the most from this course you will need a good knowledge of financial analysis and MS Excel.

Who developed the course?

New York Institute of Finance

The New York Institute of Finance (NYIF) is a global leader in training for financial services and related industries. NYIF trains 50,000 professionals online and in class, in over 120 countries.

What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

  • Unlimited access to this course
  • Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
  • Tests to validate your learning
  • Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
  • Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime

Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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