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Darden University of Virginia (USA)
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Citrix Systems, Inc.: A Fight Worth Fighting?
Loutskina, Elena; Shah, JigarCase DARDEN-F-2049-EFinanceIn December 2021, Valiant Capital Partners (VCP) is in the middle of bidding for Citrix Systems, Inc. (Citrix), to take the company private via a leveraged buyout (LBO). The auction of the renowned desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) company had attracted a number of bidders. VCP's initial bid of $15 billion ($92 per share) had allowed the fund to move to the final bidding round. Now with broader access to the company and its management, VCP has to revis...Starting at €8.20
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Assessing Private Equity Performance
Chaplinsky, Susan; Loutskina, ElenaTechnical Note DARDEN-F-1895-EFinanceAssessing the performance of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investment vehicles is a challenging task. It starts with the fact that the assets are privately held and illiquid. By contrast, PE valuations are determined in a vast open market populated largely by disinterested investors acting on publicly available information. As PE and VC have grown as asset classes, investors have pushed for greater disclosure and more standardizati...Starting at €8.20
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Citrix Systems, Inc.: A Fight Worth Fighting?
Loutskina, Elena; Shah, JigarCase DARDEN-F-2049FinanceIn December 2021, Valiant Capital Partners (VCP) is in the middle of bidding for Citrix Systems, Inc. (Citrix), to take the company private via a leveraged buyout (LBO). The auction of the renowned desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) company had attracted a number of bidders. VCP's initial bid of $15 billion ($92 per share) had allowed the fund to move to the final bidding round. Now with broader access to the company and its management, VCP has to revis...Starting at €8.20
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Should udu a Convertible Note?
Loutskina, Elena; DeVito, DamonCase DARDEN-F-2025-EFinanceIn this field-based case, the founders of udu, Inc. (udu—pronounced "you-do"), a company whose proprietary technology helped private equity clients source deals by identifying target companies and overlooked opportunities, and by shortening the business-development cycle. Clients who had found success with udu's help raved about the technology, but despite their product's promise, the founders were still struggling to find a scalable and profitab...Starting at €8.20
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Rolling the Dice with Management Service Agreements
Loutskina, Elena; Kenney Jr., Chad; McElroy, W. LeeCase DARDEN-F-2058-EFinanceIn April 2023, Will Anderson, managing partner of SummitStone Capital, LP (SummitStone), received a copy of the management service agreement (MSA) between Artemis Capital (Artemis), a private equity firm, and Lucky Dice Casinos Inc., one of Artemis’ recently acquired portfolio companies. SummitStone had invested in Artemis buyout funds since 2011 and was in the due diligence phase of allocating $75 million to Artemis’ newest vehicle, Artemis Fund...Starting at €8.20
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Charter Communications: Ensuring the Right Path Forward
Loutskina, ElenaCase DARDEN-F-1814-EFinanceThis case explores the considerations of an executive compensation analyst as he finalizes a report to the compensation and benefits committee of Charter Communications (Charter), a leading broadband and communications company, on the appropriate compensation structure for Charter's CEO, Thomas Rutledge. Charter's board clearly wanted to retain Rutledge, but in the world of executive compensation, it was not enough to have the biggest payment p...Starting at €8.20
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Business Valuation in Mergers and Acquisitions
Schill, Michael J.; Loutskina, ElenaTechnical Note DARDEN-F-1699-EFinanceThis note discusses valuation in the context of business mergers and acquisitions. It builds on standard methods of business valuation to consider the unique questions arising in a merger or acquisition setting. The note focuses on valuation using the discounted cash flow (DCF) approach and the comparable-firm-multiples approach and presupposes an understanding of the principles of business valuation. The note provides and reviews the details of ...Starting at €8.20
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Williams-Sonoma, Inc., LBO: Let's Get Cooking
Loutskina, Elena; Rayaji, AbanikashCase DARDEN-F-2051-EFinanceIn May 2023, partners from a private equity (PE) fund, Jefferson Capital, and a private (mezzanine) debt fund, Cavalier Capital, need to join forces to design their bid for Williams-Sonoma, Inc., to take the company private. May 2023's market environment looked unfriendly for LBOs: interest rates were steadily climbing as the Federal Reserve was trying to rein in inflation, the risk of the economy entering a recession was high, and banks themselv...Starting at €8.20
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AB InBev’s Dividend Decision
Loutskina, Elena; Bickwit, GrantCase DARDEN-F-1907-EFinanceIn 2018, AB InBev faced a difficult decision: whether to keep its $8 billion dividend program or cut dividends either partially or in full. This case facilitates a theoretical discussion and practical application of dividend policies and their role in value creation for firm stakeholders. Students gain experience formulating a dividend policy and understanding its effects on debt, cost of capital, and company valuation. A widely recognized globa...Starting at €8.20
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Impact Makers (A) and (B) - Teaching Note
Loutskina, Elena; Yemen, GerryTeaching Note DARDEN-F-1797TN-EFinanceTeaching note for product F-1797Starting at €0.00