EV/Revenue Multiple (2024)

What is the EV/Revenue Multiple?

The EV/Revenue Multiple is a ratio that compares the total valuation of a firm’s operations (enterprise value) to the amount of sales generated in a specified period (revenue).

Generally, the EV/Revenue multiple is used for companies with negative or limited profitability.

EV/Revenue Multiple (1)

Table of Contents

  • How to Calculate EV/Revenue Multiple
  • EV/Revenue Formula
  • How to Interpret EV-to-Revenue Ratio
  • EV/Revenue Calculator – Excel Model Template
  • EV-to-Revenue Multiple Calculation Example

How to Calculate EV/Revenue Multiple

To briefly review, valuation multiples are measures of a particular financial metric as a ratio of another, with the intention of serving as a basis of comparison between different companies.

The EV/Revenue multiple is most applicable for early-stage companies with high growth. Oftentimes, these types of companies are either unprofitable or have limited profitability, which inhibits the use of certain multiples like the EV/EBITDA multiple.

For the EV/EBITDA, EV/EBIT, and other related multiples to be effective valuation tools, the companies in the comps set must be near or in the mature stages of their life cycles with relatively stable operations and positive earnings.

Otherwise, the median or mean calculated from the peer group of companies under comparison will not be meaningful or provide minimal insight into how the market values specific qualities of companies in the relevant industry.

EV/Revenue Formula

A valuation multiple will consist of a metric depicting value (i.e. price) in the numerator, with a metric tracking operating performance in the denominator.

In the case of the enterprise value-to-revenue multiple, the two components are as follows:

  1. Enterprise Value (EV): The total valuation of the firm’s operating assets and liabilities.
  2. Revenue: The annual sales of a company, which is most commonly expressed on a last twelve months (LTM) or next twelve months (NTM) basis.
Formula
  • EV/Revenue Multiple = Enterprise Value / Revenue

To reiterate from earlier, this particular multiple is typically used for companies unprofitable not only at the net income level (the “bottom line”) but also at the operating income (EBIT) and EBITDA line.

Since more time is required for the companies to normalize and develop to a more sustainable level that is more practical in terms of comparability, the multiple could be extended for several projected years (e.g. NFY + 1, so two years forward) if the circ*mstances are appropriate.

SaaS Industry Valuation

For a significant percentage of early-stage SaaS companies, venture investors can be forced to use the EV/Revenue multiple to value potential investments.

Given the absence of profits and a subscription-based business model that makes near-term profitability under accrual accounting a poor indicator of a company’s future prospects, it should not come as a surprise that the EV/Revenue multiple is heavily relied upon for these types of high growth companies, but ordinarily a “last resort” option rather than a preferential choice.

How to Interpret EV-to-Revenue Ratio

A higher EV/Revenue multiple relative to competitors implies the market believes that the company can generate revenue more efficiently in the future (and are willing to pay a premium for each dollar of sales).

For investors pursuing undervalued companies (e.g. public equities) to purchase and obtain more profitable returns, the lower the EV/Revenue multiple, the better.

A lower multiple can signal that a company is potentially undervalued and a worthwhile investment to pursue.

But one significant limitation of the metric is that paying for growth is a subjective decision and just because a company’s multiple is high, it does NOT necessarily indicate the company is overvalued (e.g. Tesla, Amazon).

Here, investors are pricing in the potential (and positive outlook) for the company to monetize its customer base better, which can be a risky yet often profitable bet.

Additionally, the multiple places significant weight on revenue as the primary valuation driver.

While growth in sales is one of the most influential factors in corporate valuation, other considerations like profitability and free cash flows (FCFs) gain more importance over time, especially as companies mature.

EV/Revenue Multiple (2)

Summary Commentary Slide (Source: WSP Trading Comps Course)

EV/Revenue Calculator – Excel Model Template

We’ll now move to a modeling exercise, which you can access by filling out the form below.

EV-to-Revenue Multiple Calculation Example

In our example scenario, the company we’ll be looking at has an enterprise value (EV) of $500m, which will grow by $10m in the subsequent periods.

  • Last Twelve Months (LTM): $500m EV
  • Next Fiscal Year (NFY): $510m EV
  • Two-Year Forward (NFY + 1): $520m EV

Since we have projected our numerator, the enterprise value, we can move onto the denominator(s).

As of the last twelve months, the following operating assumptions are used:

  • Revenue (LTM): $200m
  • EBIT (LTM): – $50m
  • EBITDA (LTM): – $20m

For each period of the forecast, the revenue, EBIT, and EBITDA grow by a step function of $50m (i.e. increase each year by said amount).

Now, all that remains is dividing the enterprise value (EV) by the applicable financial metric to calculate the three valuation multiples.

For instance, to calculate the EV/Revenue multiple, we divide the enterprise value by the revenue generated in the relevant period.

  • EV/Rev. (LTM): $500m / $200m = 2.5x
  • EV/Rev. (NFY): $510m / $250m = 2.0x
  • EV/Rev. (NFY + 1): $520m / $300m = 1.7x

EV/Revenue Multiple (4)

From the completed output sheet posted below, we can observe how the revenue multiple remains within a narrow range in all three periods.

In contrast, the EV/EBIT and EV/EBITDA multiples are not meaningful (NM) for the earlier periods due to the company being unprofitable.

But once the company gradually begins to turn profitable, the reliance on a revenue multiple would likely decline, as the current profitability (and potential for margin expansion) start to drive the valuation increasingly more.

EV/Revenue Multiple (5)

To conclude, the EV/Revenue – despite its numerous drawbacks – can nevertheless be a practical measure of value and facilitate comparisons among high-growth, unprofitable companies.

Similar to most variations of multiples analysis, beyond just calculating the multiple itself, you should also appraise a target company’s strategic positioning within a sector and gain insights into the industry-specific factors that cause higher (or lower) valuations.

EV/Revenue Multiple (6)

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EV/Revenue Multiple (2024)

FAQs

What is a good EV to revenue multiple? ›

What is a good Enterprise Value to Revenue Multiple benchmark? In general, a good EV/R Multiple is between 1x and 3x. However, public SaaS companies range between 6X and 12X EV/R.

How do you calculate EV revenue multiple? ›

The enterprise value-to-revenue (EV/R) is easily calculated by taking the enterprise value of the company and dividing it by the company's revenue.

What does a high EV revenue multiple mean? ›

The EV/R multiple reflects whether a company overvalues or undervalues or its stocks or whether its valuation is fair. If a company's theoretical enterprise value is high in proportion to its actual revenue, its ratio is large, meaning it's overvalued.

What does low EV revenue multiple mean? ›

A lower EV/sales multiple indicates that a company is a more attractive investment as it may be relatively undervalued. This measurement is considered more accurate than the related price-to-sales because EV/sales takes into account a company's debt load.

What is a healthy EV revenue? ›

EV-to-Revenue multiples are typically considered healthy when between 1x and 3x. If this ratio is higher, then it's considered that the stocks are over-valued, and it's not profitable for investors to invest in the company. Investors are most likely to not get any returns from this investment.

Is high EV revenue good? ›

For every dollar of revenue, there is a large amount of enterprise value. A high ratio is generally not appealing to investors, as they will not benefit from the investment immediately. A high EV/Sales ratio often means the company is overvalued.

What does EV multiple mean? ›

Enterprise multiple, also known as the EV-to-EBITDA multiple, is a ratio used to determine the value of a company. It is computed by dividing enterprise value by EBITDA.

How do I choose EV EBITDA multiple? ›

What is the Formula for the EBITDA Multiple? To Determine the Enterprise Value and EBITDA: Enterprise Value = (market capitalization + value of debt + minority interest + preferred shares) – (cash and cash equivalents) EBITDA = Earnings Before Tax + Interest + Depreciation + Amortization.

What does revenue multiple mean? ›

A revenue multiple measures the value of the equity or a business relative to the revenues that it generates. As with other multiples, other things remaining equal, firms that trade at low multiples of revenues are viewed as cheap relative to firms that trade at high multiples of revenues.

Why is EV EBITDA a good multiple? ›

One advantage of the EV/EBITDA ratio is that it strips out debt costs, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, thereby providing a clearer picture of the company's financial performance.

What does a negative EV EBITDA multiple mean? ›

Simply put, a negative enterprise value means that a company has more cash than it would need to pay off any debt and buy back all its stocks in one go, if it really wanted to.

Should EV EBITDA ratio be high or low? ›

The thumb rule is that a company with lower EV/EBITDA is more attractive. The condition is that the debt should not be high-cost debt and the equity must be fairly valued in the market.

Is EV net income a multiple? ›

Therefore, the relevant denominator must be computed after interest, preferred dividends, and minority interest expense. For example, an EV/Net Income multiple is meaningless because the numerator applies to shareholders and creditors, but the denominator accrues only to shareholders.

How do you analyze EV sales? ›

EV to Sales Ratio is the valuation metric used to understand the company's total valuation compared to its sale. It is calculated by dividing the enterprise value (Current Market Cap + Debt + Minority Interest + preferred shares – cash) by its annual sales.

Is EV same as revenue? ›

The EV/Revenue Multiple is a ratio that compares the total valuation of a firm's operations (enterprise value) to the amount of sales generated in a specified period (revenue). Generally, the EV/Revenue multiple is used for companies with negative or limited profitability.

How to calculate EV? ›

How Do You Calculate Enterprise Value? Take the number of outstanding shares from a company's balance sheet and multiply it by the current share market price. Then, subtract the value of cash and cash equivalents (also found on the balance sheet), and you have its EV.

What is a high EV EBITDA multiple? ›

Usually, a low EV/EBITDA ratio could mean that a stock is potentially undervalued while a high EV/EBITDA will mean a stock is possibly over-priced. In other words, the lower the EV/EBITDA, the more attractive the stock is. Generally, EV/EBITDA of less than 10 is considered healthy.

What valuation multiple should I use? ›

In practice, the EV/EBITDA multiple is the most commonly used, followed by EV/EBIT, especially in the context of M&A. The P/E ratio is typically used by retail investors, while P/B ratios are used far less often and normally only seen when valuing financial institutions (i.e. banks).

What EBITDA multiple should I use? ›

Generally, the multiple used is about four to six times EBITDA. However, prospective buyers and investors will push for a lower valuation — for instance, by using an average of the company's EBITDA over the past few years as a base number.

What are 4 types of revenue? ›

Rent revenue. Dividend revenue. Interest revenue. Contra revenue (sales return and sales discount)

What is a 3x multiple? ›

A company with a 3x multiple, implies an annual future return of 1/3 or 33.3% per year. A company with a 5x multiple implies an annual future return of 1/5, or 20% per year.

How do you calculate multiples? ›

A multiple is simply a ratio that is calculated by dividing the market or estimated value of an asset by a specific item on the financial statements.

What is a healthy EV EBITDA? ›

A healthy EV/EBITDA ratio for a company is less than 10. It can also indicate that a stock may be undervalued.

What is a good EBITDA to revenue ratio? ›

An EBITDA margin of 10% or more is considered good. For example, Company A has an EBITDA of $800,000 while their total revenue is $8,000,000. The EBITDA margin is 10%.

What is an undervalued EV EBITDA? ›

Since EV/EBITDA is a valuation metric, lower enterprise multiple can be indicative of the company being undervalued. Usually, EV/EBITDA values below 10 are seen as desirable (undervalued).

Is a low EV EBIT good? ›

The higher the EBIT/EV multiple, the better for the investor as this indicates the company has low debt levels and higher amounts of cash. The EBIT/EV multiple allows investors to effectively compare earnings yields between companies with different debt levels and tax rates, among other things.

Is EV EBIT a good ratio to work with? ›

The EV/EBIT ratio is a very useful metric for market participants. A high ratio indicates that a company's stock may be overvalued.

Is a high EV EBITDA multiple good? ›

EV to EBITDA Ratio – Industry Benchmarks

A high EV/EBITDA multiple implies that the company is potentially overvalued, with the reverse being true for a low EV/EBITDA multiple. Generally, the lower the EV-to-EBITDA ratio, the more attractive the company may be as a potential investment.

How much EV EBITDA is good? ›

Usually, a low EV/EBITDA ratio could mean that a stock is potentially undervalued while a high EV/EBITDA will mean a stock is possibly over-priced. In other words, the lower the EV/EBITDA, the more attractive the stock is. Generally, EV/EBITDA of less than 10 is considered healthy.

What is Tesla's EBITDA multiple? ›

TSLA: Tesla, Inc.
...
EV / EBITDA Multiples.
MetricsRangeConclusion
Selected LTM EBITDA Multiple41.6x - 46.0x43.8x
Selected Fwd EBITDA Multiple26.3x - 29.1x27.7x
Fair Value$228.56 - $252.16$240.36
Upside25.3% - 38.2%31.7%

What does EV EBITDA multiple tell you? ›

The enterprise multiple, which is enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), looks at a company the way a potential acquirer would by considering the company's debt.

Is a negative EV EBITDA ratio good? ›

In this case, a financial analyst will have to move further up the income statement to either gross profit or all the way up to revenue. If EBITDA is negative, then having a negative EV/EBITDA multiple is not useful.

Is a 40% EBITDA good? ›

It takes into consideration growth and profit. In terms of interpreting the rule, 40% is the baseline figure where the company is deemed healthy and in good shape. If the percentage exceeds 40%, then the company is likely in a very favorable position for long-term growth and profitability.

Is a 20% EBITDA good? ›

EBITDA margin = EBITDA / Total Revenue

The margin can then be compared with another similar business in the same industry. An EBITDA margin of 10% or more is considered good.

What is EV EBITDA for Tesla? ›

Analysis. Tesla's latest twelve months ev / ebitda is 35.4x. Tesla's ev / ebitda for fiscal years ending December 2017 to 2021 averaged 151.3x. Tesla's operated at median ev / ebitda of 147.8x from fiscal years ending December 2017 to 2021.

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