EBITDARM

What is EBITDARM?

EBITDARM stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization, Rent, and Management Fees. It is a financial metric for the evaluation of a company’s operating performance. In most aspects, EBTIDARM is similar to EBITDA. It is appropriate to use when rent and management fees represent a substantial percentage of the company’s operating costs.

This financial metric is frequently used by private equity firms to evaluate a target company for possible investment and by credit rating agencies to assess the company’s debt servicing ability.

EBITDARM Formula

The figure can be derived from EBITDA by adding rent and management fees:

Reasons to Use EBITDARM

EBITDARM is a viable alternative to EBITDA for companies in which lease and management fees account for a large part of their operating costs. With private companies that have an owner-operator, there may be excessive management fees charged that need to be “normalized” out of the financial statements. The reason they are backed-out is because the future operator of the business would not have to pay such excessive fees when the current owner is no longer there.  

Like EBITDA, EBITDARM is a proxy for the company’s cash flow. It can be used for the evaluation of non-profitable companies. It is also useful in comparing the core operations of companies within the same industry but with different operations (e.g., one company occupies its own property, another uses a rental property).

Problems With EBITDARM

Although it is a quite popular measure among professionals, there are many critics of EBITDARM. Generally, it comes with the same drawbacks as EBITDA.

EBITDARM is not a recognized metric by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financing Reporting Standards (IFRS). Many critics point out that it does not provide an accurate overview of the company’s cash flows, as some recurring expenses are not included in its computation. In addition, it can be easily manipulated by the company’s management.

Still, EBITDARM is a useful financial metric. However, an analyst must be aware of its limitations. Using the metric in conjunction with the other financial performance measures, such as the company’s cash flows and net earnings, is advised to get a clear insight into a company’s financial strength.

Related Readings

Thank you for reading CFI’s explanation of EBITDARM. CFI is the official global provider of the Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA)™ designation, a leading financial analyst certification program. To continue learning and advancing your career, these additional CFI resources will be helpful:

• Fixed and Variable Costs
• Projecting Income Statement Line Items
• Retained Earnings
• Valuation Methods
• See all valuation resources