Investment bankers often need to present a range of valuations for a company based on different methodologies like comparable companies analysis, precedent transactions analysis, DCF analysis, and LBO analysis.
Investment bankers often need to present a range of valuations for a company based on different methodologies like comparable companies analysis, precedent transactions analysis, DCF analysis, and LBO analysis.
Save 100s of hours annually with custom shortcuts, formula auditing and linking Excel to PowerPoint.
One effective way to visually present these valuation ranges is through a football field chart (also known as a floating bar or column chart). This chart allows you to easily compare multiple valuation ranges in a clean graphical format.
In this post, I’ll walk you through step-by-step how to build a football field chart in Excel to showcase valuation ranges in investment banking.
A football field chart is a type of bar or column chart that shows different valuation ranges for a company. Each valuation methodology forms its own “field” going vertically, like the yards on a football field.
The chart typically displays:
This allows readers to quickly visualize the full spectrum of valuations and identify outliers.
There are several benefits to using a football field chart for investment banking valuation analysis.
For these reasons, the football field chart has become a popular way for investment bankers to communicate valuations visually in presentations and models.
Start by setting up your data. Create three columns:
For instance, your data could look something like:
To make the data ready for a stacked column chart, create another column titled ‘Difference’ which calculates the difference between Maximum and Minimum values. The formula is =C2-B2 for the first row.
Your data should now look like this:
This will create a basic stacked column chart.
Creating a football field chart in Excel without external tools like Macabacus might take a bit more manual work, but the result is a clean, professional chart that clearly visualizes valuation ranges. With practice, this process becomes swift and intuitive, making it a key skill for anyone in finance to hone.
To create a football field chart the easy way, and with more formatting options, try using Macabacus.
Macabacus contains a built-in template to easily create football field charts for valuation ranges. Here’s how to use it:
Check out these video tutorials showing the process.
Excel does offer some native solutions, but they can be tedious. Using plugins like Macabacus can simplify the process:
The initial output may not be entirely aligned with your branding or desired aesthetic. You can:
Try Macabacus free for 30 days and see for yourself how easy it is to create football field charts in Excel and create links to PowerPoint.