EBITDA, EBIT, Free cash flow and Cash flow

EBITDA: Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

EBITDA = Revenue – Costs of Goods Sold – Variable Costs – Fixed Costs (excl. depreciation and amortization of fixed assets, financial results and income taxes)

It is often used when we want a short answer to the question “How much this company is valued?” It depends on the company’s industry but a number we often multiply the EBITDA by 7 to get the Enterprise Value. This gives you:

Equity Value = Enterprise Value - Net Debt with Enterprise Value = 7 * EBITDA and Net Debt = Debt - Cash and cash equivalents

EBIT: Earnings Before Interest and Taxes

EBIT = EBITDA - Depreciation and Amortization of fixed assets

Free cash flow: Cash flow from Operations less Capital Expenditure.

It is cash flow that can be dedicated to the reimbursment of debts, paying of dividends, …

Free cash flow = EBITDA - Change in Working Capital - Income Taxes - Investments

Cash Flow: The variation of cash from one period to another, resulting from operating activities, investments and financing activities.

Cash flow = Free cash flow - financing activities (reimbursment of debts, funding, …)

Let’s see an example: