The equity multiple is one of the most widely used metrics when analyzing commercial real estate. What does the equity multiple tell us? Essentially, it shows an investor how much they will make (or can make) for every dollar they invest in a deal. If you have an equity multiple less than 1.0x, you lost money on the deal. Anything greater than 1.0x means you are "in the money" and are getting back more cash than you invested.
Equity Multiple Calculation
Total equity distributions divided by total equity contributions
Excel Example
Below is a simplified example of how the equity multiple is calculated in excel.
Calculation applied: $3.3M/$1.0M = 3.3x
In this example, an equity multiple of 3.3x means that for every dollar invested, an investor could get receive $3.30.
Equity Contributions and Equity Distributions in CRE
Digging in a bit further, equity contributions are considered as cash invested during the investment period. Equity distributions typically include cash flow distributions, sale proceeds, debt refinancings, and equity recaps.
Drawback of The Equity Multiple
While the equity multiple can be an awesome tool to run a quick calculation on what return to expect on a deal, it is not bulletproof. One major drawback of the metric is that it does not account for timing. This means, two deals with the same cash flows will return the same equity multiple, no matter if one is a 5-year hold and the other is a 10-year hold.
Example:
Equity Multiple Quick Points
Formula: Total equity distributions divided by total equity contributions
Return <1.0x, you lost money on the deal
Return >1.0x, you're "in the money"
Contributions=cash invested
Distributions=cash flow distributions, sale proceeds, debt financings, and equity recaps
Does not account for timing
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