Due Diligence

What Is Due Diligence?

Due diligence is an investigation or audit performed by a prospective buyer to verify the seller’s claims. The main objective of the process is to confirm the accuracy and facts about a specific subject. It is one of the best ways to help a person analyse and mitigate the risk from an investment decision. This can be done by using available public information and other resources. You can use this strategy on any stock before investing your money in it.

Types of Due Diligence

Due diligence applies to a whole host of business aspects and is categorized differently. For mergers & acquisitions, due diligence helps people find and mitigate risks associated with the investment.  Acquisition is when one company buys another company, and a merger means when two companies merge on equal terms. Further, the two main types of diligence that feature in the M&A world are complex and soft due diligence.

How to Perform Due Diligence for Stocks?

Individual investors often look for ways to perform due diligence for stocks. However, you can use due diligence in other areas like real estate, bonds, and other investment options. Your first step is to analyse the company’s capitalisation. For instance, mega and large companies have stable revenue streams, whereas small and mid-level companies experience stock fluctuations. So, analyse the company’s capitalisation and monitor profit, revenue, and margin trends to know how well the company is doing. Your next step is to look at the company’s competitors. Due diligence will help you compare the company’s profit margin with that of its competitors. Investors should then research stock price history (both short-term and long-term). Examining all these things will help investors get an idea about the company. Performing due diligence will help you to make an informed decision.

Due Diligence Basics for Startup Investments

Performing due diligence for a startup investment is not the same as doing it for companies with a track record. This is why you need to follow a few steps that mainly focus on startup investments. Plan a strategy that will help you recover your money if the startup’s business fails. Enter your partnership or figure out other ways that will help you to lose less in case of business failure. Always analyse the company to see if it has a robust business plan that appears to be realistic.

Special Considerations

Due diligence is an important aspect, especially in a business acquisition or a merger. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the buyer’s investment is safe and without any potential risks. There are two main types of due diligence – hard and soft due diligence. Although they seem the same yet they are quite different in certain aspects. Conducting quiet due diligence is complex as compared to hard due diligence. The main focus of soft due diligence is people, whereas complex due diligence focuses on numbers.

Performing Hard Due Diligence

While performing hard due diligence, investors should focus on earnings along with an in-depth analysis of the infrastructure of the company. Other aspects covered in hard due diligence include a review and audit of financial statements, analysis of the consumer market, assessment of ongoing and future litigation.

Performing Soft Due Diligence

To perform soft due diligence, businesses should go beyond numbers and costs. So you need to pay extra attention to the people or workforce of the company. Employees and the customer base of the company are the prime focus of soft due diligence. Also, quiet due diligence focuses on how customers respond or interact with the company. Resources like customer reviews and market data are also analysed.

Due Diligence Report

A due diligence report is a statement that involves researching and analysing material before an investment, partnership, acquisition. All the research and analysis acquired by the investigation are put into a report known as a due diligence report. The due diligence report is vital to understanding how a specific company plans to earn additional income. It is an important aspect that helps make a robust investment decision.

Frequently Asked Questions