Michael Mauboussin, Dan Callahan
Most investors “price” the stocks of companies by using valuation multiples instead of “valuing” them based on future cash flows and fundamentals. We address what multiples miss and why they have become less informative. We examine how the two most popular multiples, P/E and EV/EBITDA, can provide different signals about a stock’s relative attractiveness. We then take a deep look at EV/EBITDA. We do not discourage the use of multiples, but users should understand the underlying value drivers.
