Relative valuation

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Relative valuation also called valuation using multiples is the notion of comparing the price of an asset to the market value of similar assets. In the field of securities investment, the idea has led to important practical tools, which could presumably spot pricing anomalies. These tools have subsequently become instrumental in enabling analysts and investors to make vital decisions on asset allocation. [1]

Contents

Equities

In equities, the concept separates into two areas—one pertaining to individual equities and the other to indices.

Individual equities

The most common method for individual equities is based on comparing certain financial ratios or multiples, such as the price to book value, price to earnings, EV/EBITDA, etc., of the equity in question to those of its peers. This type of approach, which is popular as a strategic tool in the financial industry, is mainly statistical and based on historical data.

Equity indexes

For an equity index the above fails mainly because it is difficult to group indices into peer groups. Consequently, relative valuation here is generally carried out by comparing a national or industry stock index’s performance to the economic and market fundamentals of the related industry or country.

Those fundamentals may include GDP growth, interest rate and inflation forecasts, as well as earnings growth, among others. This style of comparison is popular among practising economists in their attempt to rationalise the connections between the equity markets and the economy.

National equity index are not fully relevant in this respect due to the proportion of multinational companies listed in most national stock markets.

Bonds

In valuing a bond, the bond in question will be priced relative to a benchmark, usually a Government bond. Here, the "required return" - technically the yield to maturity or YTM - on the bond is determined based on the bond's Credit rating relative to a government security with similar maturity. The better the quality of the bond, the smaller the spread between its YTM and the YTM of the benchmark. See Bond valuation# Relative price approach.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valuation (finance)</span> Process of estimating what something is worth, used in the finance industry

In finance, valuation is the process of determining the value of a (potential) investment, asset, or security. Generally, there are three approaches taken, namely discounted cashflow valuation, relative valuation, and contingent claim valuation.

The yield to maturity (YTM), book yield or redemption yield of a fixed-interest security is an estimate of the total rate of return anticipated to be earned by an investor who buys it at a given market price, holds it to maturity, and receives all interest payments and the capital redemption on schedule.

Stock valuation is the method of calculating theoretical values of companies and their stocks. The main use of these methods is to predict future market prices, or more generally, potential market prices, and thus to profit from price movement – stocks that are judged undervalued are bought, while stocks that are judged overvalued are sold, in the expectation that undervalued stocks will overall rise in value, while overvalued stocks will generally decrease in value. A target price is a price at which an analyst believes a stock to be fairly valued relative to its projected and historical earnings.

Bond valuation is the process by which an investor arrives at an estimate of the theoretical fair value, or intrinsic worth, of a bond. As with any security or capital investment, the theoretical fair value of a bond is the present value of the stream of cash flows it is expected to generate. Hence, the value of a bond is obtained by discounting the bond's expected cash flows to the present using an appropriate discount rate.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fed model</span> Disputed equity valuation model

The "Fed model", or "Fed Stock Valuation Model" (FSVM), is a disputed theory of equity valuation that compares the stock market's forward earnings yield to the nominal yield on long-term government bonds, and that the stock market – as a whole – is fairly valued, when the one-year forward-looking I/B/E/S earnings yield equals the 10-year nominal Treasury yield; deviations suggest over-or-under valuation.

In economics, valuation using multiples, or "relative valuation", is a process that consists of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial statement analysis</span>

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Enterprise value/EBITDA is a popular valuation multiple used to determine the fair market value of a company. By contrast to the more widely available P/E ratio it includes debt as part of the value of the company in the numerator and excludes costs such as the need to replace depreciating plant, interest on debt, and taxes owed from the earnings or denominator. It is the most widely used valuation multiple based on enterprise value and is often used as an alternative to the P/E ratio when valuing companies believed to be in a high-growth phase, and thus credits enterprises with higher startup costs, high debt relative to equity, and lower realised earnings.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stock market index</span> Financial metric which investors use to determine market performance

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In finance, a dividend future is an exchange-traded derivative contract that allows investors to take positions on future dividend payments. Dividend futures can be on a single company, a basket of companies, or on an Equity index. They settle on the amount of dividend paid by the company, the basket of companies, or the index during the period of the contract.

References

  1. "How to Use Valuation Multiples to Compare Your Business". NetSuite.