I understand EBITDA is supposed to be a proxy for operating cash flow. However, since we already have a figure for OCF on the cash flow statement, why do we even use ebitda? Is it because it’s easier to forecast ebitda? Why would we still look at it for historical years if we have the actual figure for operating cash flow?
| +270 | Why UBS Is the Worst Place to Start Your IB Career | 42 | 11h |
| +220 | UBS 2nd Year Analyst Q&A (2026) | 41 | 2d |
| +140 | UBS IB 26Q2 a Disaster! Advisory Revenue Down 23%, Capital MarketsDown 5% | 20 | 6h |
| +131 | Downfall of Qatalyst | 28 | 1h |
| +105 | What's your craziest "hardo" story? | 18 | 1d |
| +85 | Lincoln International Return Offers | 28 | 6h |
| +57 | Wolf of Wall Street vs. Reality: Anyone else feel scammed by the movies? | 19 | 1d |
| +43 | so confused about 28 SA timeline | 30 | 1d |
| +34 | Rate my non-target resume | 19 | 1d |
| +33 | [WSO MODS] Please Delete This BS Host Books Spam! | 2 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
In a growth scenario, operating cash flow will be reduced by working capital. So EBITDA is a better “steady state” CFO proxy.
But yeah, cash flow multiples are a thing and some investors prefer them.
Credit guys in particular as they don’t care about growth
But shouldn’t credit guys care even more about the impact of working capital as it would be a cash draw on FCF preventing the firm to pay as much debt back? So wouldn’t OCF be a more applicable metric than EBITDA for them? I’m also thinking this would apply to PE guys with an LBO or am I thinking about this completely wrong
EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Income Taxes Divided by Assets. It is thus a ratio of levered returns that excludes taxes so that 2018+ years can be compared to pre-2017 years (before the corporate tax cut). It is NOT a measure of operating cash flow - EBITDA isn’t even measured in dollars, it is measured in percentage.
To monkey sh*t guy
what the f*** did you just f****** say about me, you little b****? (You know the rest)
Is this supposed to be funny? That's like the worst definition I've seen for EBITDA lol
This is the type of analysis I come here for. I look forward to seeing you on CNBC one day.
The use of EBITDA has since spread to a wide range of businesses. Its proponents argue that EBITDA offers a clearer reflection of operations by stripping out expenses that can obscure how the company is really performing.
EBITDA is essentially net income with interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization added back. EBITDA can be used to analyze and compare profitability among companies and industries, as it eliminates the effects of financing and capital expenditures.
Enim sequi adipisci hic hic et. Facilis nihil cum placeat blanditiis. Ipsam delectus tenetur aut explicabo. Atque aliquam repudiandae et et beatae. Temporibus quis laborum mollitia corporis nesciunt et. Commodi enim accusantium qui sequi. Rerum rem quod incidunt.
Iure blanditiis ducimus neque maxime perferendis. Vitae adipisci atque atque natus.
Sed architecto repellat dolores sed voluptate sit rerum. Et eum aut accusamus aut est enim. Dolorem enim eaque et delectus rerum. Nihil provident architecto molestias accusantium dolorum. Eaque omnis excepturi quas quia minima.
Minus modi fuga nam laborum ullam et eius. Inventore est nam eius quis mollitia.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...