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L.2 · INTERMEDIATE · 2 MIN

Key Valuation Multiples for Comps

The three most important valuation multiples are EV/EBITDA, P/E, and EV/Revenue. Each has different strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases — and no single multiple tells the whole story.

Quiz · 5 questions ↓

Live data

MSFT — P/E, EV/EBITDA, P/B, Revenue Growth. Open MSFT on the Ledge to see current values.

Compare

MultipleNumeratorBest ForWeakness
EV/EBITDAEnterprise ValueMost industries — neutralizes capital structureIgnores capex differences
P/EMarket Cap (Price)Profitable, stable companiesDistorted by leverage, taxes, one-time items
EV/RevenueEnterprise ValueHigh-growth or unprofitable companiesIgnores profitability entirely
P/FCFMarket Cap (Price)Capital-light businessesVolatile for capex-heavy companies
EV/EBITEnterprise ValueCapital-intensive industriesAffected by depreciation policies

Key point

EV-based multiples (EV/EBITDA, EV/Revenue) are generally superior to price-based multiples (P/E) because they account for differences in capital structure. A company can look cheap on P/E simply because it’s loaded with debt.

Step through

SectorPrimary MultipleWhy
Tech/SaaSEV/Revenue, EV/EBITDAMany pre-profit; revenue growth is key
BanksP/TBV (Price to Tangible Book)Assets are mostly financial instruments
REITsP/FFO (Funds from Operations)FFO adjusts for non-cash depreciation
RetailEV/EBITDA, EV/EBITDAREBITDAR adjusts for lease differences
Oil & GasEV/EBITDAXAdjusts for exploration expense

Try it

Look up a company in **Fundamentals** and calculate its EV/EBITDA, P/E, and EV/Revenue. Then compare to 2–3 peers. Which multiple shows the most consistency across the peer group?

Check-in

A company trades at 8x EV/EBITDA (cheap vs. 12x peer median) but 25x P/E (expensive vs. 18x peers). What explains the divergence?

Key insight

Use the multiple that is most meaningful for the industry AND most consistent across your peer group. If a multiple varies wildly among similar companies, it’s probably being distorted by accounting or structural differences.

Check-in

You're comparing 5 tech companies. Valuation multiples: EV/EBITDA 12-18x, EV/Revenue 4-9x, P/E 20-35x. Which is the RIGHT multiple to use?
Check your understanding

Sit with the ideas.

A peer group has median EV/EBITDA of 14x. Your target company has EBITDA of $500M but grows at 20% vs. peers at 10%. What EV range is reasonable?

Why:
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