business
Is it possible to keep assets from being taken when a company is bought by another?
<p>Say you have company A. They are being bought by company B, are there legal ways to permit company B to buy A but not permit B to own assets that company A had originally owned?</p>

<p>Or in selling company A to B permit wholesale pundering on B part when they buy A?</p>

<p>If there is no place on this website for this question please let me know. </p>

<h2>When you buy a company you acquire all its assets and liabilities</h2>

<p>If the vendor wishes to retain some assets they need to buy them from the company; before, at the time of, or after the sale.</p>

<p>The value of a company is its assets less its liabilities plus the present value of its future cash flows all adjusted for risk. If the company owns a fleet of motor vehicles then their market value is part of the assets (and any finance on them is part of the liabilities). If the managing director wants to keep their company car then they need to have it transferred to them and it won’t factor into the valuation</p>

<p>That said, its usually only public companies (or large private companies on the verge of going public) that are bought. Because private companies have variable levels of management skill, there could be contingent liabilities no one knows about and a new owner is unlikely to want to take these on. Private companies usually sell their assets (including the “business”) to insulate the new owner.</p>

<p>If you own a company, and want to sell it but keep certain assets, you put that into the sales contract. Obviously the more assets you want to keep, the less money you will get for the rest. </p>
