What Is Valuation Analysis?
Valuation analysis is a process to estimate the approximate value or worth of an asset, whether its a business, equity, fixed income security, commodity, real estate, or other assets. The analyst may use different approaches to valuation a🅺nalysis for different types of assets, but the common thread will be looking at the underlying fundamentals of the asset.
Key Takeaways
- Valuation analysis seeks to estimate the fair value or intrinsic value of an asset, such as business or a security.
- Valuation analysis relies on several different methodologies and models in order to come up with a single price based on different inputs or variables.
- Different valuation processes will be employed depending on the type of asset being considered, whether that asset produces cash flows, and what the purpose of the valuation is for.
Understanding Valuation Analysis
澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Valuation analysis is mostly 🐼science (number crunching), but there is also a bit of art involved because the analyst is forced to make assumptions for model inputs. The value of an asset is basically the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:present value (PV) of all future cash flows that the asset is forecasted to produce. Inherent in the estimation model for a𒉰 company, for example, is a myriad of assumpti𒅌ons regarding sales growth, margins, financing choices, capital expenditures, tax rates, discount rate for the PV formula, etc.
Once the model is set up, the analyst can play with the variables to see how valuation changes with these different assumptions. There is no one-size-fits-all model for assorted asset classes. Whereas a valuation for a manufacturing company may be amenable to a multi-year DCF model, and a real estate company would be best modeled with current 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:net operating income (NOI) and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:capitalization rate (cap rate), comm🔥odities such as iron ore, copper, or silver would be subject to a model centered arou𒉰nd global supply and demand forecasts.
How Valuation Analysis is Used
The output of valuation analysis can take many forms. It can be a single number, such as a company having a valuation of approximately $5 billion, or it could be a range of numbers if the value of an asset is largely dependent on a variable that often fluctuates, such as a corporate bond with a high duration having a valuation range between par and 90% of par depending on the yield on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:30-year Treasury bond. Valuation can be expressed as a price multiple. For example, as a tech stock is trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 40x, a telecom stock is valued at 6x 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:enterprise value-to-ear🍎nings before interest, taxes, deprecไiation and amortization (EV/EBITDA) or a bank is trading at 1.3x 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:price-to-book (P/B) ratio. Valuation analysis can also take the 🌠final form of as asset value per share or net ass🥂et value (NAV) per share.
Valuation and Intrinsic Value
Valuation analysis is important for investors to estimate 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:intrinsic values of company shares in order to 🍒make better-informed investment decisions. Fair values of bonds do not deviate much, if at all, from intrinsic values, but opportunities do arise once in a while in the case of financial stress of a heavily indebted company. Valuation analysis is a useful tool for comparing companies within the same sector or estimating a return on an investment over a given time period.