Company Name McCormick amp; Co., Inc.

Forecast Organic Growth Forecast Merger / Acquisition Explanation of Assumptions

Assignment 4 – Suggestions for Preparing the Financial Forecasts

Assignment 4 requires the preparation of two separate financial forecasts, one for the Organic Growth Strategy, the other for the Merger/Acquisition Strategy.

Either the eVal Excel Forecasting Model of the Prof. Stevens Excel Financial Forecasting Model can be used for the forecasts.

Using eVal Excel Financial Forecasting Model – Suggestions

Organic Growth Strategy Forecast

The Organic Growth Strategy forecast should reflect the anticipated performance of the company if it implements the strategy that you have developed. 

Your assumptions should be developed using the “eVal Assumptions for Organic Growth & Merger / Acquisition Strategies” Excel worksheet that is provided with the Assignment 4 materials in the online classroom.  These assumptions then need to be entered into the “Forecasting Assumptions” section of the eVal Financial Forecasting Model. The eVal model will then prepare the Organic Growth Strategy forecast and the output will be reflected in the various eVal worksheets.

This step can be done by updating the eVal model that you prepared for Assignment 1. Alternatively, you can start with a fresh eVal model (download from the online classroom).

Merger & Acquisition Strategy Forecast

The Merger & Acquisition Strategy forecast should reflect the anticipated performance of the company after it acquires (or merges with) another firm. 

The first step in preparing this forecast is to adjust the existing financial statements (balance sheet and Income statement) to reflect the most recent annual performance of the company. Essentially, this means that it is necessary to combine (add together) and enter into eVal the combined balance sheet and income statement data of the company as it would appear following the acquisition or merger. This adjustment is completed in the “Financial Statements” worksheet in the eVal model (go to the “Financial Statements” workbook and scroll down to the bottom of the worksheet and locate the “Raw Data Inputs” section). It is only necessary to update the most recent balance sheet and income statement data (the last column of data) in the “Raw Data Inputs” section of the worksheet.

The second step is to return to the Excel input sheet (“eVal Assumptions for Organic Growth & Merger / Acquisition Strategies”) that was prepared for the Organic Growth Strategy (see above). Then, proceed to record and explain your forecasting assumptions for the combined company following the merger or acquisition. These assumptions then need to be entered into the “Forecasting Assumptions” section of the eVal Financial Forecasting Model. The eVal model will then prepare the Organic Growth Strategy forecast and the output will be reflected in the various eVal worksheets.