What is terminal value?
Terminal value (TV) is the value of a business or asset beyond the explicit forecast period, and it’s a critical part of Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models. This forecast period is usually five to 10 years. In fact, TV usually accounts for about 75% of the total valuation in a DCF model.
Calculating the terminal value helps investors estimate the future value of a business or asset. This calculation is important for forecasting, strategy creation, and investor communication. The accuracy of the calculation for terminal value depends on reasonable assumptions.
There are two main ways to calculate terminal value: the perpetual growth method and the exit multiple method.
Below, we’ll dive into these methods, their uses, and how to estimate TV accurately.