Both are helpful in evaluating a company’s financial health, but they have different perspectives on the business’s value. Understanding the difference between Market Cap and Enterprise Value will help you make educated purchase decisions that align with your investment goals.

Market capitalization is the total value a company has in its outstanding shares listed on the market. It doesn’t take into account the debt of a company, so it can provide an inaccurate impression of the overall worth of a business. Enterprise Value, however, adds the debt of a business to its equity and subtracts cash in order to give a more complete view of its worth.

The addition of a company’s debt gives you an idea of the company’s financial obligations that must be paid over time, and its capacity to invest in growth opportunities and pay dividends to shareholders. In the same way, subtracting a company’s cash provides you with an idea of its liquidity – the amount of cash on hand.

The EV to Market Cap ratio offers an easy method of screening companies for potential investments, but it does not replace due diligence visit this site or financial modeling. Furthermore the EV to Market Cap ratio is not a good indicator of a company’s worth to its peers, as it fails to account for variations in the firm’s distinct capital structures and risk profiles.