Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization—also called EBITDA—is a record of the amount of money a company generated during a period, before deducting interest costs and taxes, and before taking into account the depreciation and amortization of assets. A company's earnings AFTER interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization is their net income. EBITDA is usually seen as a measurement of a company's overall ability to generate cash, not taking into account how much of that cash will be spent on essential expenses. An important thing to note is that EBITDA does not add back operating expenses and COGS, or the cost of goods sold. EBITDA can be a useful metric because it is a capital structure neutral. This means that whether a company is financed by debt, equity, cash flow, or any combination of the three, their EBITDA is not affected. When one company merges with or buys out another company, capital restructuring is a common practice. Knowing the EBITDA before changing how a company is financed can help the new owners estimate how restructuring will affect net income. EBITDA is not a metric under GAAP, or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Companies are not legally required to disclose their EBITDA but it can be worked out using the information in its financial statements. However, some investors want to know this number when considering the earnings potential of a company. EBITDA has some limitations because it ignores factors that ultimately DO affect a company's bottom line. It can be manipulated by corporate representatives as a way to fool investors into thinking that a company has a better cash flow than it actually does. For example, businesses that are financed heavily by debt can report a high EBITDA, but after interest payments, the net income of those companies might be well below industry standards. This is especially common in companies that are struggling to keep up profits and have to take on additional debt to stay afloat. If investors aren't careful, an unscrupulous CEO might try to use their company's EBITDA to cover up those struggles. EBITDA can be very informative if used to compare two similar companies. Because spending money on interest, taxes, and the depreciation and amortization of assets is unavoidable for the majority of companies, corporations in the same industry can be expected to pay similar taxes, use similar assets, and potentially have similar capital structures.EBITDA Definition
Where EBITDA Falls Short
When Is EBITDA Useful?
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) FAQs
EBITDA stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
EBITDA is a record of the amount of money a company generated during a period, before deducting interest costs and taxes, and before taking into account the depreciation and amortization of assets.
EBITDA is usually seen as a measurement of a company’s overall ability to generate cash, not taking into account how much of that cash will be spent on essential expenses.
EBITDA can be manipulated by corporate representatives as a way to fool investors into thinking that a company has a better cash flow than it actually does.
Companies are not legally required to disclose their EBITDA but it can be worked out using the information in its financial statements.
True Tamplin is a published author, public speaker, CEO of UpDigital, and founder of Finance Strategists.
True is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®), author of The Handy Financial Ratios Guide, a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, contributes to his financial education site, Finance Strategists, and has spoken to various financial communities such as the CFA Institute, as well as university students like his Alma mater, Biola University, where he received a bachelor of science in business and data analytics.
To learn more about True, visit his personal website or view his author profiles on Amazon, Nasdaq and Forbes.
