Is a negative EV EBITDA good?

Asked by: Juliana Bogan  |  Last update: July 9, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (50 votes)

Negative EV: This happens when a company's cash and cash equivalents exceed its market capitalization plus debt. It's rare but can occur in cash-rich companies with low market valuations. Negative EBITDA: This indicates the company is losing money at the operational level.

Is negative EV good?

A company with a lower EV/sales multiple is often seen as more undervalued and therefore more attractive. The EV/sales ratio can be negative when the cash held by a company is more than the market capitalization and debt value. A negative EV/sales implies that a company can pay off all of its debts.

Is a low EV EBITDA good?

A lower EV/EBITDA ratio suggests a company may be more attractive as a potential investment. A low EV/EBITDA ratio indicates that the company's enterprise value (EV) is relatively low compared to its EBITDA. This suggests that the market potentially undervalues the company.

What is a good EV to Ebitda ratio?

When assessing a healthy EV/EBITDA ratio, generally, a range between 8 to 12 is considered reasonable for most industries. Below 8 might indicate undervaluation, while above 12 could suggest overvaluation, particularly in mature sectors.

When can EV be negative?

EV tells investors and interested parties a company's true value and how much another company would need to acquire it. A company's EV can even be negative if its cash and cash equivalents exceed the combined total of its market cap and debts.

👨‍🏫 EV/EBITDA - What It Is, 🤔 How To Calculate, & When To Use?

31 related questions found

What does a negative EV EBITDA mean?

Negative EV: This happens when a company's cash and cash equivalents exceed its market capitalization plus debt. It's rare but can occur in cash-rich companies with low market valuations. Negative EBITDA: This indicates the company is losing money at the operational level.

Can a company have negative EBITDA?

Yes, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) can be negative. A negative EBITDA indicates that a company's operational earnings are insufficient to cover its operating expenses, excluding interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation.

What does EV Ebitda tell us?

The ratio of EV/EBITDA is used to compare the entire value of a business with the amount of EBITDA it earns on an annual basis. This ratio tells investors how many times EBITDA they have to pay, were they to acquire the entire business.

What is a healthy EBITDA?

Generally speaking, a good EBITDA margin for manufacturing businesses falls between 5% and 10%. However, this will vary depending on the specific industry you are manufacturing your products for, and how capital-intensive your operations are.

What is the EV Ebitda of the S&P 500?

Therefore, S&P Global's EV-to-EBITDA for today is 26.84. During the past 13 years, the highest EV-to-EBITDA of S&P Global was 115.14. The lowest was 8.93. And the median was 22.16.

Should I use EV EBIT or EV Ebitda?

Both EBIT and EBITDA measure the profitability of a company's core business operations. However, financial analysts commonly favor the EV/EBITDA metric over EBIT due to its ability to offer a consistent, comprehensive, and cash-flow-centric evaluation of a company's operational performance.

What does EBITDA tell you?

EBITDA indicates a company's ability to consistently profit, while net income indicates a company's total earnings. Net income is generally used to identify the value of earnings for every share of the business. It can be calculated using the following formula.

What is positive EV vs negative EV?

In short, for a bet to be considered a positive EV bet, the probability of cashing on the bet is higher than the odds implied by the price of that bet. Conversely, if your wager's shot at hitting is less than what you need to break even, then it's a -EV play.

What is good efficiency for an EV?

Here's the maths: EV range ÷ kWh battery size = miles per kWh. In simple terms, the higher the miles per kWh the more efficient the battery. Our 3 miles per kWh figure above is pretty average; and the most efficient electric car will return about 5 miles/kWh.

Should EV EBITDA be high or low?

What is a Good EV/EBITDA Ratio? Generally, the lower the EV to EBITDA ratio, the more attractive the company may be as a potential investment.

What is the 30% EBITDA rule?

The Interest Limitation Rule (ILR) is intended to limit base erosion using excessive interest deductions. It limits the maximum net interest deduction to 30% of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization (EBITDA). Any interest above that amount is not deductible in the current year.

Is a 20% EBITDA good?

A “good” EBITDA margin is industry-specific, however, an EBITDA margin in excess of 10% is perceived positively by most.

What is the inverse of EV Ebitda?

EBITDA Yield equals Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) / Enterprise Value (EV). It is the inverse of the EV to EBITDA.

Why is EV Ebitda better than EV sales?

“In general, I would use EV/EBITDA to value businesses because EBITDA represents profit whereas EV/Sales neglects the impact of cost. However, there are three situations where I would place greater emphasis on EV/Sales. First, if the company has negative EBITDA, then EV/EBITDA would not be meaningful.

Can you have a negative EV/EBITDA ratio?

Yes, EV/EBITDA can be negative if the company's EBITDA is negative, which implies that the company is currently unprofitable. Is a lower EV/EBITDA better? A lower EV/EBITDA ratio can often signify a potentially undervalued company. However, the ratio should be compared to industry peers for a proper assessment.

What is the rule of 40 negative EBITDA?

As you start to truly scale your software startup, you'll probably start to hear investors talk about the Rule of 40. Simply put, you take you growth rate and subtract your EBITDA margin. If it's above 40%, you're in good shape. If it's below 40%, you should start figuring out how to cut costs.

Do you want a positive or negative EBITDA?

If a company's EBITDA is negative, it has poor cash flow. Still, a positive EBITDA doesn't automatically mean a business has high profitability. When comparing your business to a company with an adjusted EBITDA, it's important to note which factors might be excluded from the balance sheet.