Financial Due Diligence

Stout experts perform comprehensive financial due diligence resulting in an efficient and complete set of findings that can inform valuation, structure, and integration prior to a deal closing. We focus on assessing value drivers of a transaction and seek to identify deal breakers early to support go/no-go decisions faster and limit investment of further resources. Our experienced team leverages the latest technology to analyze the ever-growing amount of data made available throughout a transaction process, giving senior executives peace of mind prior to executing a purchase agreement. Our services include:

• Quality of earnings
• Quality of assets / net working capital
• Net debt

M&A Tax Services

Stout’s tax experts have the experience and transaction-based knowledge to identify and address any unwanted tax exposures or surprises. We collaborate with clients to arrive at alternative structures and solutions that minimize tax risks and costs. Our experience ranges from small domestic deals to large multi-jurisdictional transactions. Our services include:

• Tax due diligence
• Tax structuring
• Tax modeling and comparative benefit analysis
• Tax attribute studies
• State sales tax and income tax remediation services
• Transaction cost analysis

IT Due Diligence

Stout advisors understand that whether buying or selling a strategic asset, IT is considered one of the most complex components of a transaction. A comprehensive approach to IT due diligence can uncover key risks that can impact valuation as well as opportunities to exploit a competitive advantage. We help our clients through the entire deal continuum from strategy to execution to post deal-close IT services. Our IT due diligence efforts focus on seven pillars:

• IT strategy and financials
• IT leadership and organization
• Strategic investments
• Cybersecurity and data protection
• Software development
• Applications and digital analytics
• Infrastructure and cloud strategy

Legal Claims Diligence

Stout experts assist potential buyers and their counsel in evaluating a target’s mass tort risks and any potential insurance available to offset those exposures. Mass tort risk is not always evident on a target’s balance sheet and may only consider existing claims. Our professionals work with client teams to develop liability models that estimate a range of exposures going forward. Our legal claims diligence analysis can inform:

• Representation and warranty insurance placement
• Purchase and sale indemnities and escrows
• Purchase price adjustments
• Threshold risk tolerance decisions