Commonly Confused Metrics: EBITDA vs Free Cash Flow
Our July series on commonly confused metrics
EBITDA and FCF are often used interchangeably in the context of profitability. Both drop out of the bottom of your P&L, and are linked to company valuation. But similar to how olive oil and sun tan oil are both oils, you can eat one, while the other is only for superficial purposes.
What the hell do I mean?
If I were to sum it up, EBITDA is used to compare companies on the surface, while Free Cash Flow can be consumed. Let’s dig in.
EBITDA
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) is as if the playing field was equalized for where a company is located and its choice of debt vs equity financing. In a vacuum, and at full speed, what could I get out of this thing?
EBITDA is like comparing runners on a perfectly level and controlled track. It doesn’t matter if they trained at high altitude or sea level, in hot or cold conditions; on race day, everyone competes under the same, ideal conditions. This helps compare their pure running capabilities without external factors.
Here are EBITDA’s core characteristics, and why investors rely on it for decision making:
Removes debt financing decisions from the equation
It removes the impact of debt by adding back Interest, allowing you to compare companies regardless of their capital structures
FCF penalizes you for debt financing.
Levels the playing field for local tax treatment
EBITDA puts companies on a level playing field as to where they choose to conduct business
Uncle Sam collects his toll from FCF
Neutralizes for the impact of capex decisions
EBITDA doesn’t care if you rent a machine or buy it outright
FCF realizes that data centers don’t grow on trees
Strips out some bad management decisions for comparability
Related to what we’ve already mentioned, since EBITDA cuts through financing and tax nuances, it removes some of the noise that could be caused by bad management.
FCF gives you no mulligans for bad strategy
Used more frequently in industry benchmarking
Due to it’s comparative nature, companies can compare their EBITDA margins against industry averages to gauge their performance.
FCF will be prone to Apples to Oranges comparisons
Net net, EBITDA helps to make companies comparable to one another.
I’d be remise to note that EBITDA is a non-gaap metric. That means it won’t show up in normal financial statements. You need to do some math to back into it.