Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) is a valuation method that estimates the value of a business based on its expected future cash flows, which are projected and then discounted back to present value using a discount rate. This approach reflects the time value of money and is useful for businesses with predictable and stable cash flows. It’s more detailed than other methods but also more sensitive to assumptions about growth and risk.

The EBITDA multiple is a common method used to value a business by comparing its enterprise value (EV) to its EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization). It helps assess a company’s worth based on its operating performance, ignoring non-cash and financing-related expenses. The valuation is calculated by multiplying the company’s EBITDA by an industry-specific multiple, which reflects factors like growth potential, risk, and market conditions.

Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) is a common measure of cash flow used to value small businesses. It represents the total financial benefit a single owner-operator receives from the business and includes net profit plus add-backs like the owner’s salary, personal expenses, interest, taxes, depreciation, and one-time costs. Buyers use SDE to understand how much income they could potentially earn and apply an industry-specific multiple to determine the business’s value.

Revenue multiples are a valuation method that compares a company’s value to its revenue, typically using a multiple based on industry norms. It’s often used when a business has little or no profit or when valuing high-growth companies. The business value is estimated by multiplying its annual revenue by a relevant industry multiple, which reflects factors like growth, margins, and market conditions.

Asset-based valuation estimates a company’s value based on the total value of its assets minus its liabilities. It focuses on the net worth of the business rather than its earnings, making it useful for asset-heavy companies or those with minimal profitability. This method can use book value (from the balance sheet) or fair market value, depending on the context.

Book value multiples compare a company’s market value to its book value (assets minus liabilities as recorded on the balance sheet). Commonly expressed as the Price-to-Book (P/B) ratio, this method helps assess whether a business is over- or undervalued relative to its accounting value. It’s most relevant for asset-intensive industries like banking or manufacturing, where physical assets play a key role.

Direct comps (or comparable company analysis) is a valuation method that estimates a business’s value by comparing it to similar companies that have recently sold or are publicly traded. Key metrics like revenue, EBITDA, or SDE multiples are analyzed across these “comps” to determine a fair market range. This approach reflects real market behavior and is especially useful when there are recent transactions in the same industry and size range.

Public peers is a valuation method that compares a private company to similar publicly traded companies. By analyzing valuation metrics like revenue or EBITDA multiples of these public peers, investors can estimate what the private company might be worth in the open market. This method is useful for benchmarking and understanding how the market values similar businesses, though adjustments are often needed due to size, liquidity, and control differences.