What is EBITDA – A Key Financial Metric for Business Analysis

Whether you're just starting or scaling your business, it’s critical to understand key financial performance metrics. One of the most widely used is EBITDA, which stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. “EBITDA” is an abbreviation for “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.” Every business owner should be aware of this approach and how to calculate EBITDA.

Understanding EBITDA and Its Significance

EBITDA explained: it separates a company’s core operating performance from external factors, like interest and tax burdens or non-cash accounting items such as depreciation and amortization.

Operating factors directly relate to a company’s core business activities, such as revenue, cost of goods sold, and operating expenses. These factors directly impact a profitability by determining how efficiently it operates and generates income.

On the other hand, non-operating factors, like interest expense/income, taxes and capital expenditures, do not directly stem from core business activities. While they can influence profitability, they are not as much within the company’s control and can lead to fluctuations in net income.

Understanding both operating and non-operating factors is crucial for a comprehensive analysis of a company’s overall financial performance and profitability.

What is EBITDA? – Definition and Explanation

EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a financial metric used to measure a company’s operational performance and profitability by excluding non-operating expenses and accounting factors.

EBITDA provides a clearer view of a company’s core earnings from its main business activities, enabling comparison with other firms and assessing its ability to generate profits before considering interest costs, taxes, and non-cash expenses like depreciation and amortization.

Why EBITDA is Important? – Purpose and Use in Financial Analysis

EBITDA is useful in financial analysis for several reasons:

Operating Performance Assessment: EBITDA allows analysts to focus solely on a company’s operational performance without being influenced by accounting choices, interest rates, tax laws, or non-cash expenses like depreciation and amortization.

Comparability: EBITDA provides a standardized measure to compare companies across industries and regions, making it easier to evaluate operational efficiency and profitability.

Simplification: EBITDA simplifies financial reporting, making it easier to compare businesses or quickly assess operating profitability, especially when calculating EBITDA/revenue or EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.

What Does EBITDA Stand For in Business?

• Earnings

• Before

• Interest

• Taxes

• Depreciation

• Amortization

In short, EBITDA, meaning in business, is a measure of core profitability, removing non-operational variables. It helps analysts understand how efficiently a company turns revenue into operating earnings.

Components of EBITDA & EBITDA formula

There are two ways to express the basic EBITDA formula:

EBITDA = Operating Income + Depreciation and Amortization

EBITDA = Net Income + Interest + Taxes + Depreciation and Amortization

• Operating Income: Operating income, also known as operating profit, is the profit a company makes from its core business operations before considering interest and taxes. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of goods sold (COGS) and operating expenses (like selling, general, and administrative expenses) from the company’s total revenue, as so: Operating Income = Revenue – COGS – Operating Expenses
• Net Income: A company’s net income, on the other hand, represents the ultimate profit earned by a company after all expenses, including the company’s operating expenses, interest, taxes, and non-operating items, have been accounted for. It is calculated by subtracting all expenses from the company’s total revenue, as so: Net Income = Revenue – COGS – Operating Expenses – Interest Expenses – Taxes – Other Non-Operating Items

The difference between the operating income and net income calculations is why Interest and Taxes must be added back in when you calculate EBITDA using Net Income as the basis, but not when you use Operating Income (because then it wasn’t removed from the calculation in the first place).

Depreciation represents the allocation of the cost of tangible assets over time. The cost of equipment, spread out over the lifespan of the equipment, is an example of a depreciation expense.

Amortization refers to the allocation of the cost of intangible assets over time. The cost of renewing an intellectual property license, spread out over the time the license is good for, is an example of an amortization expense.

Depreciation and amortization expenses are subtracted when calculating both operating income and net income, so they must be added back in during the EBITDA calculation.

Does EBITDA Include Salaries, Payroll, or Owner Compensation?

Yes, EBITDA includes salaries and payroll, as they are part of operating expenses deducted before calculating EBITDA.
However, the owner’s salary can sometimes distort comparability in small businesses if it's unusually high or low, making EBITDA for dummies guides emphasize normalization in those cases.

Earnings – Calculating Operating Profit with EBITDA

If you are using operating profit as your basis for calculating EBITDA, here is how you would do it:

Operating Profit (EBIT – Earnings Before Interest and Taxes): Operating Profit is the company’s revenue from its core business operations minus its operating expenses (excluding interest and taxes). It is represented as:

Operating Profit = Revenue – Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) – Operating Expenses

Interest – Assessing the Impact of Interest Expenses on EBITDA

Interest is specifically not included as an expense in the calculation of EBITDA. In order to assess the impact of interest expense on EBITDA, you need to understand how interest expenses affect a company’s performance financially and profitability.

Once you’ve calculated EBITDA, here’s how you can assess the impact of interest expense:

• Identify Interest Expenses: Review the company’s financial statements to find the total interest expense for the relevant period. Interest expenses are typically listed in the company’s income statement.
• Compare EBITDA and Interest Expenses: Compare the EBITDA value with the total interest expense. If interest expenses are significantly high compared to EBITDA, it indicates that a considerable portion of the company’s earnings is going toward servicing debt, which may pose financial risks.
• Analyze Interest Coverage Ratio: To gain further insights, calculate the Interest Coverage Ratio, which is a measure of a company’s ability to pay its interest expenses with its operating earnings. The formula for the Interest Coverage Ratio is: Interest Coverage Ratio = EBITDA / Interest Expenses

A higher Interest Coverage Ratio indicates that the company’s EBITDA is sufficient to cover its interest expense, which is generally considered a positive sign.

Taxes – Analyzing Tax Burden on EBITDA Earnings

Like interest, taxes are not included as an expense in the calculation of EBITDA. If you want to analyze the tax burden on EBITDA earnings, you must understand the impact of income tax expense and other taxes on a company’s operating profitability. By comparing EBITDA with the actual tax expenses, one can assess the effectiveness of the company’s tax planning strategies.

A high tax burden relative to EBITDA can indicate inefficient tax management, reducing overall earnings. It is essential to evaluate tax-efficient structures and incentives to optimize tax expenses, thereby enhancing EBITDA and overall profitability. Additionally, changes in tax laws can influence the tax burden, necessitating ongoing monitoring and adaptation of tax strategies to maintain sustainable financial performance.

Depreciation and Amortization – Accounting for Non-cash Expenses in EBITDA

Depreciation and amortization meaning in EBITDA: These non-cash expenses reduce reported net income but don’t affect actual cash flow. EBITDA adds them back to reveal earnings before these accounting adjustments.

Depreciation is the allocation of the cost of tangible assets (e.g., buildings, machinery) over their useful life, and amortization is the allocation of the cost of intangible assets (e.g., patents, trademarks) over time. These expenses do not involve actual cash outflows but are rather accounting measures to spread the cost of assets over their useful life.

By excluding depreciation and amortization expense, EBITDA allows for better comparisons between different companies in different industries. It helps investors and analysts assess operational efficiency without being affected by accounting choices or the age of the company’s assets.

EBITDA vs. Net Income: Key Differences and Limitations

EBITDA and net income are both important financial metrics, but they differ in scope and inclusiveness. Let’s take a closer look at their calculations and applications.

Comparing EBITDA and Net Income as Financial Metrics

EBITDA represents a company’s operating profitability by excluding interest, taxes, and non-cash expenses. It offers insight into core business performance, but it disregards important costs and tax obligations.

In contrast, net income reflects a company’s ultimate profit after considering all expenses, including interest, taxes, and non-operating items. Net income is a more comprehensive measure of a company’s financial performance, providing a clearer picture of actual profitability available to shareholders.

Recognizing Limitations and Criticism of EBITDA

While a company’s EBITDA is a valuable metric, it should not be viewed in isolation. It has limitations, such as overlooking important expenses and not considering changes in working capital, which is why it is typically used in conjunction with other financial ratios and metrics for a comprehensive analysis.

Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has openly criticized EBITDA with statements like, “References to EBITDA make us shudder – does management think the tooth fairy pays for capital expenditures?” His perspective is that depreciation and amortization expenses are very real expenses, and excluding them from the picture gives an inaccurate picture of a company’s profitability and overall financial health.

EBITDA vs Net Income, Operating Income, and Cash Flow

• EBITDA vs Net Income: Net income includes all expenses, including taxes and interest. EBITDA strips these out for a cleaner view of operating earnings.

• EBITDA vs Operating Income: Operating income (EBIT) excludes interest and taxes but includes depreciation/amortization. EBITDA adds those back too.

• EBITDA vs Cash Flow: EBITDA approximates operating profitability but doesn’t include working capital changes or capital expenditures — unlike free cash flow.

• Revenue vs EBITDA: EBITDA measures profit generation efficiency. Divide EBITDA by revenue for EBITDA margin — a key profitability ratio.

EBITDA as a Performance Measure

The result of a company’s EBITDA formula may be used as a factor in evaluating its performance in several different business contexts.

Evaluating Business Profitability and Operational Efficiency with EBITDA

EBITDA allows evaluation of business profitability and operational efficiency by isolating core operating performance from financial and accounting factors. Comparing EBITDA across companies and industries helps identify efficient operators. High EBITDA relative to revenue indicates effective cost management and profitability.

Assessing Cash Flow Generation and Debt Servicing with EBITDA

EBITDA assessment aids in understanding a company’s cash flow generation and debt servicing capabilities. Strong EBITDA relative to debt obligations indicates sufficient cash flow to cover interest expenses, suggesting better debt-servicing capacity. However, EBITDA does not consider principal repayments. Evaluating EBITDA alongside cash flow from operations helps gauge actual cash generation and ability to service debts comprehensively.

Comparing EBITDA to interest payments (interest coverage ratio) reveals if operating earnings are adequate to cover interest costs. Although EBITDA offers insights into cash flow generation and debt servicing potential, additional financial measures like free cash flow and debt-to-EBITDA ratio are essential for a comprehensive assessment.

Operating cash flow vs free cash flow: What is the difference?

Comparing EBITDA Across Companies and Industries

EBITDA comparison aids investors and analysts in identifying promising investment opportunities, understanding market trends, and making informed decisions by highlighting companies excelling in generating profits from their core operations.

Higher EBITDA relative to revenue suggests superior cost management and core business profitability. It allows benchmarking against competitors in the same industry and industry norms, identifying potential leaders and laggards. Companies with higher EBITDA margins may indicate better financial health and growth prospects. Industry dynamics and capital intensity, however, must be considered before coming to conclusions.

Using EBITDA in Financial Analysis and Decision-making

A company’s EBITDA result may be used in different situations that call for financial analysis and decision-making.

Applying EBITDA to Evaluate Investment Opportunities

EBITDA can be applied to evaluate investment opportunities by assessing a company’s core profitability and operational efficiency. Companies with higher EBITDA margins relative to their industry peers may indicate stronger financial performance and growth potential. It helps investors assess core performance, especially when calculating EBITDA multiples, which are often used to value a business in M&A deals.

Utilizing EBITDA for Valuation and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Analysis

In valuation and M&A analysis, EBITDA is utilized as a quick measure of a company’s operating performance and cash flow potential. It aids in comparing the profitability of different businesses and provides a basis for valuing companies. Buyers often use EBITDA multiples to determine acquisition prices.

Considering EBITDA in Debt Covenant Compliance and Loan Agreements

When considering EBITDA in debt covenant compliance and loan agreements, it serves as a critical metric for lenders to evaluate a borrower’s ability to service debt. The loan agreements may include EBITDA-based financial covenants, ensuring the borrower maintains a minimum level of EBITDA to demonstrate financial health and loan repayment capability.

Lenders use EBITDA as a safeguard to monitor the borrower’s operational performance and assess any potential risks that may impact debt repayment. Consistently falling below the required EBITDA level could trigger default events, leading to potential consequences for the borrower, such as increased borrowing costs or additional collateral requirements.

Note: EBITDA is a crucial financial metric for analyzing businesses. Understanding EBITDA’s definition, purpose and components is significant for making informed decisions. Despite facing criticism, recognizing the applications of EBITDA, such as evaluating business profitability and operational efficiency, is highly beneficial. Utilizing EBITDA in financial analysis can provide valuable insights into investment opportunities, valuation, and compliance with loan agreements. By comparing EBITDA across companies and industries, we can gain a better understanding of a business’s performance. With EBITDA as your financial ally, make smart decisions and be confident in your analysis.

Read more: Cash flow analysis made easy

Questions and Answers

What is a good EBITDA percentage?

The appropriateness of a “good” EBITDA percentage can vary widely depending on factors such as the industry, business model, and economic conditions. For capital-intensive industries like manufacturing or airlines, lower EBITDA percentages may be typical, while technology or service-based industries might have higher percentages. As a rule of thumb, EBITDA margins above 15-20% are often considered strong, but it’s crucial to compare a company’s EBITDA with industry peers and historical performance to get a more meaningful assessment of its financial health.

Does EBITDA mean net profit?

No, EBITDA does not mean net profit. EBITDA represents operating profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Net profit reflects overall profit after deducting all expenses, including non-operating items.

Does EBITDA include the owner’s salary?

EBITDA does not include the owner’s salary. EBITDA focuses on a company’s operating performance and profitability by excluding non-operating expenses, interest, taxes, and non-cash expenses like depreciation and amortization. Owner salary is considered a part of operating expenses and is included in the calculation of operating income, but it is not part of the EBITDA formula.