IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/por/fepwps/586.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Method of Market Multiples on the Valuation of Companies: A Multivariate Approach

Author

Listed:
  • José Couto

    (Private company)

  • Paula Brito

    (Faculdade de Economia & LIAAD INESC TEC, Universidade do Porto, Portugal)

  • António Cerqueira

    (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to investigate, using multivariate analysis, the possibility of defining comparable firms as those with economic and financial characteristics closest to the company under evaluation, rather than adopting the "same industry" criterion, and thereby improve the estimation errors when the multiples valuation process is used to estimate the enterprise value and the market capitalization of a company. The analysis is performed running formal tests to compare mean values of the distributions of errors. The results obtained using cluster analysis reveal that considering comparable companies as those with economic and financial ratios closer to the company under evaluation generally reduces the mean of the estimation errors for almost all groups of ratios considered. For those groups for which the improvement is not significant, the results are similar to those obtained using the industry membership criterion.

Suggested Citation

  • José Couto & Paula Brito & António Cerqueira, 2017. "The Method of Market Multiples on the Valuation of Companies: A Multivariate Approach," FEP Working Papers 586, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    • Handle: RePEc:por:fepwps:586
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.fep.up.pt/investigacao/workingpapers/wp586.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ingolf Dittmann & Christian Weiner, 2005. "Selecting Comparables for the Valuation of European Firms," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2005-002, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    2. Sanjeev Bhojraj & Charles M. C. Lee, 2002. "Who Is My Peer? A Valuation‐Based Approach to the Selection of Comparable Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 407-439, May.
    3. Alford, Aw, 1992. "The Effect Of The Set Of Comparable Firms On The Accuracy Of The Price Earnings Valuation Method," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 94-108.
    4. Cheng, C S Agnes & McNamara, Ray, 2000. "The Valuation Accuracy of the Price-Earnings and Price-Book Benchmark Valuation Methods," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 349-370, December.
    5. Yong Keun Yoo, 2006. "The valuation accuracy of equity valuation using a combination of multiples," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 5(2), pages 108-123, May.
    6. Richard G. Sloan, 2002. "Discussion of Who Is My Peer? A Valuation‐Based Approach to the Selection of Comparable Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 441-444, May.
    7. Volker Herrmann & Frank Richter, 2003. "Pricing With Performance-Controlled Multiples," Schmalenbach Business Review (sbr), LMU Munich School of Management, vol. 55(3), pages 194-219, July.
    8. Jing Liu & Doron Nissim & Jacob Thomas, 2002. "Equity Valuation Using Multiples," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 135-172, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Emanuel Bagna & Enrico Cotta Ramusino, 2016. "Accounting-Based Valuation Using Market Multiples: The Case Of Cyclical Companies," DEM Working Papers Series 126, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    2. WS Nel, 2015. "An Optimal Peer Group Selection Strategy for Multiples-Based Modelling in the South African Equity Market," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 7(3), pages 30-46.
    3. Christian Weiner, 2005. "The Impact of Industry Classification Schemes on Financial Research," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2005-062, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    4. Forte, Gianfranco & Gianfrate, Gianfranco & Rossi, Emanuele, 2020. "Does relative valuation work for banks?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    5. Ingolf Dittmann & Christian Weiner, 2005. "Selecting Comparables for the Valuation of European Firms," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2005-002, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    6. Frank Asche & Bård Misund, 2016. "Who’s a major? A novel approach to peer group selection: Empirical evidence from oil and gas companies," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1264538-126, December.
    7. Salmanov, Oleg & Babina, Natalia & Bashirova, Svetlana & Samoshkina, Marina, 2015. "Multiples for Valuation Estimates of Companies in the Technology Sector of Emerging Markets," MPRA Paper 112271, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Mar 2015.
    8. Yanfu Li, 2019. "Improving Analyst Target Price Performance Through Enhanced Valuation Techniques," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 13(2), pages 1-12.
    9. Karel Janda, 2019. "Earnings Stability and Peer Company Selection for Multiple Based Indirect Valuation," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 69(1), pages 37-75, February.
    10. Dittmann, I. & Maug, E.G., 2006. "Valuation Biases, Error Measures, and the Conglomerate Discount," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-011-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    11. Soenke Sievers & Jan Klobucnik, 2011. "Valuing high technology growth firms," Cologne Graduate School Working Paper Series 02-07, Cologne Graduate School in Management, Economics and Social Sciences.
    12. Aharon, David Y. & Gavious, Ilanit & Yosef, Rami, 2010. "Stock market bubble effects on mergers and acquisitions," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 456-470, November.
    13. Meitner, Matthias, 2003. "Option-Style Multi-Factor Comparable Company Valuation for Practical Use," ZEW Discussion Papers 03-76, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    14. WS Nel & NJ le Roux, 2014. "Precision, Consistency and Bias in Emerging Equity Markets," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 6(5), pages 386-399.
    15. Barbara Fidanza, 2008. "The Valuation by Multiples of Italian Firms," Working Papers 14-2008, Macerata University, Department of Studies on Economic Development (DiSSE), revised Nov 2008.
    16. Elnathan, Dan & Gavious, Ilanit & Hauser, Shmuel, 2010. "An analysis of private versus public firm valuations and the contribution of financial experts," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 387-412, December.
    17. Lucie Courteau & Jennifer L. Kao & Terry O’Keefe & Gordon D. Richardson, 2006. "Relative accuracy and predictive ability of direct valuation methods, price to aggregate earnings method and a hybrid approach," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 46(4), pages 553-575, December.
    18. Wen-Shiung Lee, 2013. "Merger and acquisition evaluation and decision making model," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(15-16), pages 1473-1494, December.
    19. Marc Deloof & Wouter De Maeseneire & Koen Inghelbrecht, 2009. "How Do Investment Banks Value Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1‐2), pages 130-160, January.
    20. Francesco Bavagnoli & Giangiacomo Buzzoni & Corrado Mandirola & Ernesto Salinelli, 2022. "Exploring market multiples accuracy for professional practices: sales is the value anchor but profitability and location matter too," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(4), pages 1409-1442, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cluster Analysis; Estimation Errors; Relative Valuation; Method of Multiples; Market Multiples;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • C38 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Classification Methdos; Cluster Analysis; Principal Components; Factor Analysis

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:por:fepwps:586. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fepuppt.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.