Taking Clayton Homes Private

Journal of Private Equity, pp. 30-38, Summer 2010

Posted: 2 Jun 2010

See all articles by Joseph Calandro, Jr.

Joseph Calandro, Jr.

Fordham University - Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis

Date Written: June 1, 2010

Abstract

Warren Buffett took Clayton Homes, Inc., private in 2003 in what was called a “ballad-like” manner; however, the ballad quickly turned into controversy making this acquisition one of Buffett’s toughest. The controversy predominantly centered on this deal’s price. As Buffett is a value investor he invests in deals that present a margin of safety or discount from estimated value, and thus this controversy can be reframed for analytical purposes as an inquiry into the margin of safety, both in the context of this acquisition and conceptually. We begin our own inquiry into this case by valuing Clayton Homes at the time of this deal using the modern Graham and Dodd approach. We then assess this deal’s price and explain the fairness of, and sound economic logic of, the margin of safety with respect to Clayton’s acquisition price as well as conceptually, which could prove useful to future private equity acquirers and targets alike.

Keywords: Private equity, acquisition, valuation

JEL Classification: G23, G34

Suggested Citation

Calandro, Jr., Joseph, Taking Clayton Homes Private (June 1, 2010). Journal of Private Equity, pp. 30-38, Summer 2010 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1618891

Joseph Calandro, Jr. (Contact Author)

Fordham University - Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis ( email )

531 Hughes Hall
441 E. Fordham Rd
Bronx, NY 10458
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcalandro/

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
788
PlumX Metrics