Due Diligence

Due diligence is a thorough examination of information and strict adherence to the applicable rules and regulations. It ensures asset protection as well as the avoidance of malpractices and conflicts.

Careful analysis is a critical component of all investment decisions. Key stakeholders will thoroughly investigate all the facts presented about investment opportunities to ascertain their credibility. This is a method for investors to ensure that their investment aligns with what they think it is.

• Due diligence refers to both collection and verification of relevant information before making an investment agreement.
• Various categories include financial, legal, operational, technical, and commercial due diligence.
• The process shields investors from investment frauds and opportunities that may not align with their corporate principles and goals. It assists investors in selecting rewarding options.
• While the diligent investigation process may vary depending on the circumstances, the experts performing it should be aware of and adhere to its aims and objectives.

The due diligence process provides investors with information on both advantages and disadvantages surrounding the investment option. When an investor or analyst performs analysis on a stock, there are several factors to consider. It is not confined to the entities financial performance; instead, market dynamics is very crucial. Also, a single piece of information about the company can influence the share price. Hence, the process must include a background study of the company, products/services, market, customer base, stock market performance/history, etc.

It is natural for specific investment options to look lucrative at first but turn out to be unsuccessful in the long run. Conversely, some alternatives may appear unappealing at first but turn out to be a high-return investment in the long run. This drives investors to be prudent and uses the diligence process as a verification tool to run an investigation focusing on tangible and intangible aspects.

A complete understanding of an investment's practical and potential benefits and liabilities is in the picture during the analysis process. In the past, we might conclude that investors relied heavily on financial data, with little regard for intangible elements. However, the intangible aspect of a possible investment choice might have an immense influence on assessing the long-term performance. Since tangible assets are more easily quantifiable, it is frequently in use to evaluate a proposed deal. Ascertaining the actual worth of an investment is not complete without examining the intangible assets.

The process primarily carries out the credibility check of the information involved. It can be the information presented by the seller of an asset or real estate agent, fund manager or financial reports submitted by the subsidiary company in the M&A.

According to IRS, as per the generalized notion of standard procedure for diligence process, paid preparers who prepare tax returns of clients must do the following:

• Know the law
• Apply knowledge
• Ask all right questions through due diligence questionnaire or checklist.
• Get all the facts
• Document and keep records

When paid preparers prepare a tax return or return claiming tax credits, they must fulfill four standards.

• Calculate the credits based on the facts
• Complete and submit the required forms
• Keep records
• Ask all the right questions

According to SEC, an adviser performing an audit on behalf of its client must determine whether alternative investments features are in:

• Accordance with client's investment objectives
• Conformity with the investment principles and strategies

Some of the essential focus areas of investment advisers are the following:

• Operational focus
• Legal documents review
• Investment fund redemption terms and liquidity of the portfolio
• Onsite visit
• Audited financial statements review

The services and processes vary according to the interest of investors or industry. However, we can form a generalized view.

Formation of due diligence team: The team includes financial, operational and legal professionals with profound knowledge and industrial expertise.

Analyze and follow objectives and goals of due diligence: Basic understanding of the objectives and goals will help the team set focus areas based on the investor's requisites.

Due diligence process focus areas:

1. Operational: The process primarily checks for flaws in the business operations.
2. Legal: In legal, the process focus on verifying the documents of intellectual properties, lawsuits, contingent liabilities and overall legal aspects of the entity.
3. Financial: The process focuses on verifying and analyzing financial statements like the entity's balance sheet. Typically this includes the data from previous fiscal years and future projections to conduct trend analysis.
4. Commercial: It focuses on market studies, products and services, customers and so on.

Risk analysis: Understanding the risks associated with investing in general and specific investment options is crucial. This examination should involve a review of existing and prospective risk factors affecting the business. Of course, every investment has some risk, but it is up to investors to identify and reduce that risk.

Due diligence report: All the findings of the examination process get compiled and documented in the form of a report for future use.

The due diligence process often encompasses most factors influencing the investment options. Therefore, we can portray an example based on the stock that has outperformed the average during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peloton Interactive Inc., incorporated in the year 2012, caters to the exercise equipment industry. Peloton became a public company in September 2019 through IPO. The peloton stock prize saw a massive upsurge in 2020 due to Covid 19 pandemic, which induced their sales and revenue growth (August 31, 2020: share price USD 76.67, October 15, 2020: share price USD 136.43). However, the stock price suffered significantly during November 2020 due to Pfizer's vaccine-trial news (November 09, 2020: share price USD 100.01). Then again, in January 2021 share price climbed up, reaching USD 167.42 on January 13. However, the loosening of lockdown measures and safety recall issues associated with cost surge eating profit influenced the downward trend in share price (May 05, 2021: share price USD 82.62).

In the absence of careful analysis, investors may invest hugely in Peloton stocks by seeing the massive momentum in January 2021. However, the analysis process on Peloton stock reveals its high risk and volatile nature. Therefore, it may help investors with short term outlook to not invest in Peloton stocks.

This has been a guide to Due Diligence and its Meaning. Here we discuss how due diligence works in finance along with examples, services and processes. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –

• Corporate Finance
• Merger
• Initial Public Offering (IPO)