How to interpret CAGR?

Asked by: Dr. Eleanore Goodwin  |  Last update: March 11, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (14 votes)

CAGR is a simple metric that measures the average rate of growth of a sum, be that a figure like sales or an investment, over any number of periods. It's easy to picture visually: In Example 1 above, a $1.00 investment grows by 20% for three years to a value of $1.73. The CAGR is 20%.

How do you analyze CAGR?

The step-by-step process to calculate CAGR is as follows.
  1. Step 1 ➝ Divide the Ending Value (or Future Value) by the Beginning Value (or Present Value)
  2. Step 2 ➝ Raise the Resulting Figure to the Inverse of the Number of Compounding Periods (1 ÷ t)
  3. Step 3 ➝ Subtract by One to Convert the Implied CAGR into Percent Form.

What is considered a good CAGR?

A CAGR in sales of 5-12 per cent is suitable for large-cap companies. Similarly, for small businesses, a CAGR of 15% to 30% is satisfactory. Furthermore, a company's CAGR must be consistent over time. As a result, a promising CAGR does not always imply the highest CAGR; it can also mean stable and constant growth.

What does a 10% CAGR mean?

For example, if you invested Rs 1,000 in a particular mutual fund, it grew at a CAGR of 10% over five years. It means that, on average, your investment would have increased by 10% each year. However, the actual growth in each year may vary.

Is a higher or lower CAGR better?

A high CAGR with a low standard deviation suggests consistent growth with less risk. Look Beyond the Average: CAGR is an average, so the actual returns might have fluctuated significantly in some years. Consider the historical performance data to understand the investment's volatility.

CAGR explained

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What does CAGR ratio tell us?

Key Takeaways. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a mathematical formula that provides a pro forma number that tells you what an investment yields on an annually compounded basis. CAGR is the best formula for evaluating how different investments have performed over time.

Is 20% CAGR good?

You may consider CAGR of around 5%-10% in sales revenue to be good for a company. CAGR is used to forecast the growth potential of a company. For a Company with a track record of over five years, you may consider a CAGR of 10%-20% to be good for sales.

What if CAGR has negative starting value?

If the initial value is negative, the CAGR formula returns a result of "0". This is obviously not a meaningful number as it does not indicate a growth rate.

What is considered a fast CAGR?

Less than 15 percent: Although many may consider this rate rather unspectacular, a firm will double its size in five years while growing at a 15 percent rate. 15 percent to 25 percent: Rapid growth. 25 percent to 50 percent annually: Very rapid growth. 50 percent to 100 percent annually: Hyper growth.

Is a CAGR of 7% good?

Usually, anything under an 8% CAGR is poor, but a good rate really does depend on the specific organisation. For example, companies who have been around for 10 or more years may see a CAGR of 8%-12% which is a good rate of sales for the amount of time they have been in business.

Is CAGR a good indicator?

However, CAGR is a good indicator of overall scheme performance. You can compare CAGRs of different mutual fund schemes and make informed investment decisions. You should consult with your financial advisor if required.

How to use CAGR to forecast revenue?

Forecasting future values based on the CAGR of a data series (you find future values by multiplying the last datum of the series by (1 + CAGR) as many times as years required). As with every forecasting method, this method has a calculation error associated.

What is a normal CAGR range?

CAGR evens out all variations in the annual return rate of securities while considering an average of the same. For example, a stock market instrument can have a return of 25% during the first period of investment, 9% in the second year, 19% in the third year, and 17% in the fourth year.

What is a good CAGR value?

Size of the company and also the industry sector plays a role in the growth rate of a company. For large-cap companies, a CAGR in sales of 5-12% is good. Similarly, for small companies, a CAGR between 15% to 30% is good. On the other hand, start-up companies have a CAGR ranging between 100% to 500%.

What is the result of CAGR?

Steps to calculate:
  • Divide the final value by the initial value.
  • Raise the result to the power of 1 divided by the number of years.
  • Subtract 1 from the result to get the CAGR as a decimal.
  • Multiply by 100 to express it as a percentage.

What is the purpose of the CAGR?

CAGR is a valuable metric for investors to gauge the performance of their investments over time. By smoothing out annual returns, it provides a clearer picture of an investment's growth trajectory.

What is the CAGR strategy?

Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is a robust metric used in backtesting investment strategies. By considering the compounding effect over time, CAGR provides valuable insights into the long-term performance of investments.

Can you use CAGR for sales growth?

The Sales 3 Year Compound Annual Growth Rate, or CAGR, measures the growth rate in sales over the longer run.

How to use CAGR to calculate future value?

The CAGR formula
  1. FV = PV (1 + r/m)mt Assuming that that interest is compounded on a yearly basis ( m = 1 ) we can write:
  2. FV = PV (1 + CAGR)t where CAGR is the compound annual growth rate. ...
  3. CAGR = (FV / PV)1/t − 1. ...
  4. CAGR = (1300/1000)1/3 − 1 = 9.14%

How do you know if ROI is positive or negative?

If the calculation has a negative ROI percentage, that means the business -- or metric being measured -- owes more money than what is being earned. In short, if the percentage is positive, the returns exceed the total cost.

What is the CAGR rule?

The CAGR formula is equal to (Ending Value/Beginning Value) ^ (1/No. of Periods) – 1.

What are the weakness of CAGR?

CAGR limitations to keep in mind
  • It doesn't account for investment volatility. ...
  • It doesn't account for added funds in an investment portfolio. ...
  • It can only be used to compare identical time periods. ...
  • It is less reliable for shorter investment periods.

What is Warren Buffett's CAGR?

The company is often compared to an investment fund; between 1965, when Buffett gained control of the company, and 2023, the company's shareholder returns amounted to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8% compared to a 10.2% CAGR for the S&P 500.

Which sector has the highest CAGR?

Healthcare And Insurance

India's healthcare and insurance sectors have witnessed remarkable growth in recent years.

What is the CAGR for impact investing?

The GIIN estimates that over 3,907 organizations currently manage $1.571 trillion USD in impact investing assets under management (AUM) worldwide, representing 21% compound annual growth (CAGR) of the total impact investing market since 2019.