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FIN 402 · Unit 3 of 6

Discounted Cash Flow Valuation

Equity Valuation and Security Analysis

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Produce portfolio-ready deliverables
  • Apply the frameworks in "Discounted Cash Flow Valuation" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Executive brief applied project

Why this matters

Discounted Cash Flow Valuation is essential to Equity Valuation and Security Analysis. Lessons build fluency with anchor-company examples, worked problems, and assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Complete all 4 lessons in order. Each lesson follows the program authoring standard: conceptual prose, worked examples, practice problems, and managerial judgment prompts. Finish unit exercises and the knowledge check before marking the unit complete.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Executive brief. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Discounted Cash Flow Valuation"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Executive brief?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Produce portfolio-ready deliverables
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your FIN 402 assessment (Equity Valuation and Security Analysis. Six units covering applied topics in this concentration.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

50% applied project30% case work20% knowledge checks

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Discounted Cash Flow Valuation45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Discounted Cash Flow Valuation**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under FIN 402.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Discounted Cash Flow Valuation30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your FIN 402 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Model / spreadsheet

Build or extend a spreadsheet model tied to this unit.

ModelStructured model: Discounted Cash Flow Valuation60 min
Create a structured analytical model for **Discounted Cash Flow Valuation**. Document your assumptions, calculations, and conclusions in a format appropriate to FIN 402 (diagram, table, or written model). Connect outputs to a decision a manager would make.

Deliverable

Structured model document (2+ pages) · One-paragraph summary of key insight from the model · Screenshot or export saved to portfolio

Rubric

  • • Assumptions stated explicitly
  • • Logic is auditable (formulas or steps visible)
  • • Output answers a specific business question
  • • Sensitivity or scenario considered

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. Crestline Holdings reports $1.20B revenue and $156M EBITDA. In Discounted Cash Flow Valuation, Victoria Hale's team focuses on which primary discipline?

2. Which mistake from the unit lessons is most costly at Crestline's $420M net debt scale?

3. In the Crestline worked example for The Strategic Logic of Discounted Cash Flow Valuation, what is the correct managerial read?

4. Crestline Industrial Solutions generates $480M revenue. A lesson concept in Discounted Cash Flow Valuation applies most directly when:

5. Base net leverage at Crestline is roughly 2.69x ($420M / $156M). Which scenario test best matches unit practice problems?

6. Lesson exercises require students to complete practice problems before solutions. For Evidence, Metrics and Assumptions in Discounted Cash Flow Valuation, step 1 should be:

7. Which evidence label fits historical Crestline segment margins without a forward test?

8. Ian Cho, Marcus Webb, and Elena Park disagree about Discounted Cash Flow Valuation. Best next step per lessons:

Next unit: Relative Valuation and Market Multiples →