Historical financial results are only relevant in a valuation to the extent that the business expects to achieve similar results in the coming years. When projecting future economic benefits, it’s important to consider expected changes to a subject company’s internal and external conditions. Challenging the status quo The last three to five years of financial statements are usually on the list of documents experts use to value a business. With some companies, it’s possible to simply take historical financial statements and apply an assumed growth rate into perpetuity. But experienced valuation professionals know that future performance can’t always be expected to mirror the past. One key reason is capacity constraints. To achieve an expected growth rate, a larger facility or additional equipment may be needed over the long...