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A Few Related Terms

Leverage
Merger
Acquisition
Poison Pill

Leveraged Buyout (LBO)
Term category: Strategies, General Business
In 10 words or less: A strategy of acquiring businesses using borrowed money.

Definition: Leveraged buyouts are essentially takeovers that involve using lots of borrowed money.  These were made famous in the 1980's when corporate raiders would issue junk bonds, buy a conglomerate that was mismanaged, and sell of its parts.

StockJargon Advice: LBO's can make money in two ways:

1.) Buy the company and sell off its pieces, then repay the debts.  If the value of the pieces is greater than the business as a whole, the buyer makes a profit.
2.) Buy the company and manage it more efficiently.  As long as the company can be managed so that it generates enough cash flow to pay the interest on bonds, the buyer will profit.

Related Articles

Takeovers and Leveraged Buyouts
An article explaining takeovers, leveraged buyouts, poison pills, etc...

How to Perform a Leveraged Buyout
Learn how LBO's are performed and why companies are selected...

Wikipedia: Leveraged Buyouts (LBO's)
An aggregation of information about leveraged buyouts...


Related Books

The Complete Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions by Timothy Galpin
How to Raise Capital
by Jeffrey Timmons
The Interpretation of Financial Statements by Benjamin Graham
How to Use Financial Statements by James Bandler

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