Acquisitions often pose an analytical challenge for investors. Should the fee be considered an operating expense, capital expense, or another sort of expense? What if part or all of the acquisition was financed using stock? How will the company’s financial standing be impacted? Is the acquisition fee too expensive? These are just some of the questions that shareholders need to answer. The intricacies of each acquisition make analysing them a headache for investors. However, by breaking an acquisition assessment into parts, we can form a systematic approach to cover all angles. Here is a short primer on the things to look out for in acquisitions. Accounting for cash outlay Free cash flow is often calculated as operating cash flow less capitalised expenses. On the cash flow statement, capitalised expenses are the purchase of property, plant, and equipment and other capitalised expenses such as capitalised software costs....