The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

Orientation: This paper stems from Ohlson’s valuation framework, where residual income as a variable was substituted by the non-Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) measure of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). Research purpose: The primary purpose wa...

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Main Authors: Ronald Nhleko, Daniel P. Schutte, Merwe Oberholzer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2023-09-01
Series:Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/844
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author Ronald Nhleko
Daniel P. Schutte
Merwe Oberholzer
author_facet Ronald Nhleko
Daniel P. Schutte
Merwe Oberholzer
author_sort Ronald Nhleko
collection DOAJ
description Orientation: This paper stems from Ohlson’s valuation framework, where residual income as a variable was substituted by the non-Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) measure of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). Research purpose: The primary purpose was to determine whether EBITDA, together with the book value of equity (BV), could be shown to be value relevant by means of an intrinsic equity evaluation model. Secondary hereto was to focus on the value relevance of the residual between EBITDA and traditional bottom-line earnings, namely interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ITDA). Motivation for the study: The concern is that the current evidence value relevance of EBITDA offered in the literature has been premised on relative valuation approaches, meaning they are primarily anecdotal. Research approach/design and method: Cross-sectional ordinary least square regression analyses were applied from the top 100 largest companies listed on the JSE, from 1995 to 2017. Main findings: The results demonstrated that EBITDA, ITDA and BV accounted for significant variations in equity share prices when controlling for the confounding effects of scale, growth and the incidence of reported accounting losses. Practical/managerial implications: Ultimately, these findings should be seen to confirm the validity of EBITDA as an alternative input to bottom-line earnings in the valuation of equity shares. Contribution/value add: The study extends the debate by providing an alternative perspective based upon Ohlson’s residual income valuation framework, in respect of which there has currently been a paucity of evidence.
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spelling doaj.art-1bacdaa43ac44d82896ae093134abd5a2023-12-04T08:07:25ZengAOSISJournal of Economic and Financial Sciences1995-70762312-28032023-09-01161e1e1510.4102/jef.v16i1.844497The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock ExchangeRonald Nhleko0Daniel P. Schutte1Merwe Oberholzer2School of Accounting Sciences, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, PotchefstroomSchool of Accounting Sciences, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, PotchefstroomManagement Cybernetics Research Entity, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, PotchefstroomOrientation: This paper stems from Ohlson’s valuation framework, where residual income as a variable was substituted by the non-Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) measure of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). Research purpose: The primary purpose was to determine whether EBITDA, together with the book value of equity (BV), could be shown to be value relevant by means of an intrinsic equity evaluation model. Secondary hereto was to focus on the value relevance of the residual between EBITDA and traditional bottom-line earnings, namely interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ITDA). Motivation for the study: The concern is that the current evidence value relevance of EBITDA offered in the literature has been premised on relative valuation approaches, meaning they are primarily anecdotal. Research approach/design and method: Cross-sectional ordinary least square regression analyses were applied from the top 100 largest companies listed on the JSE, from 1995 to 2017. Main findings: The results demonstrated that EBITDA, ITDA and BV accounted for significant variations in equity share prices when controlling for the confounding effects of scale, growth and the incidence of reported accounting losses. Practical/managerial implications: Ultimately, these findings should be seen to confirm the validity of EBITDA as an alternative input to bottom-line earnings in the valuation of equity shares. Contribution/value add: The study extends the debate by providing an alternative perspective based upon Ohlson’s residual income valuation framework, in respect of which there has currently been a paucity of evidence.https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/844ebitdaitdavalue relevanceequity valuationbook values
spellingShingle Ronald Nhleko
Daniel P. Schutte
Merwe Oberholzer
The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences
ebitda
itda
value relevance
equity valuation
book values
title The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
title_full The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
title_fullStr The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
title_full_unstemmed The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
title_short The value relevance of EBITDA and book values: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
title_sort value relevance of ebitda and book values evidence from the johannesburg stock exchange
topic ebitda
itda
value relevance
equity valuation
book values
url https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/844
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