Why Use EBITDA?

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?

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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.

 

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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.

 

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