The Market Pulse Third Quarter 2013 survey was completed by 192 business brokers and M&A Advisors from 38 states. BMI Mergers & Acquisitions participates in the surveys and is a member of both the IBBA and M&A Source.
We summarized key points of the third quarter survey below.
Business Sales – Buyers and Sellers Market
The market is split on deal size:
- For deals under $500K it is a buyers market with that sentiment increasings from Q2.
- For deals between $5 and $50 million, a majority of deal professionals indicated that market is a sellers market.
- Between the $500K and $5 million deal size the relative market strength is a toss up between a buyers or sellers market.
Retirement is Driving Business Sales
- In every deal size segment, retirement was the number one reason sellers put their business on the market.
- Baby boomers are continuing to move into the market in larger numbers.
Business Buyers – Types Of Buyers
- Individuals purchased the majority of businesses in deals valued under $1 million.
- Private equity groups and strategic buyers were the primary purchasers of business for sale deals between $5 and $50 million.
- All types of buyers from individuals and private equity, strategic and others were the primary purchasers of businesses valued between $1 million and $5 million.
Business Valuation Multiples
- Deal value multiples have remained within a narrow range for most deal sizes over the past quarters.
- Deal value multiples have been generally increasing in the $5 million to $50 million range.
- Most advisors think valuations will stay the same or grow in the next three months. In the lower middle market, less than two percent of advisors believe valuations are going to decline. The majority believe they will stay the same, with 20 to 25 percent expecting they will continue to grow from current peak. As the deals get larger there is greater confidence that values will continue to increase.
Business Purchasing Mistakes and Terminations
- According to the study, the primary reason for deal termination remains unrealistic expectations, across every market sector. This includes unrealistic valuations or unreasonable non-price demands. This accounted for 47% of reported deal failures.
- The top reasons for deal failure reported:
- Unrealistic Expectations: 47%
- Poor Financial Records: 14%
- Declining Sales: 12%
- Waiting Too Long: 10%
- Emotional Ties to Business: 6%
The International Business Broker Association (IBBA) and M&A Source present the Market Pulse Quarterly Survey Report with the support of the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project and the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. The quarterly IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse survey was created to gain an accurate understanding of the market conditions for businesses being sold in the Main Street market (values $0 to $2 million) and lower middle market (values $2 million to $50 million). The national survey was conducted with the intent of providing a valuable resource to business owners and their advisors.