Assessment of Companies by Multiples Applied to Grouped Companies with Cluster Analysis

Abstract

This study checked if there is any proof that the method of companies’ assessment by Multiples has its performance increased if applied together with the cluster analysis for selecting comparable companies, since such approach aims to produce groupings with maximized homogeneity, and the Assessment by Multiples requires comparable companies similar to target companies. In order to analyze the performance, the interquartile range of the pricing errors generated when the comparable companies belonged to the same economic sector versus the time when they belonged to the same cluster. Furthermore, tests were performed to compare the average difference between pricing errors, considering the comparable company as in the same economic sector of target company and that the target company belongs to the same cluster of the compared company. The results suggest reduction of dispersion of pricing errors, having the interquartile range as reference, indicating improvement to the performance of assessment method by Multiples when applied together with cluster analysis. However, the tests for comparing the average difference of pricing mistakes per economic sector versus the time when they belonged to the same cluster, do not consolidate the conclusion for the analysis of the interquartile range, indicating no improvement of performance for the assessment methodology by Multiples related to the cluster tool. The results achieved consolidate the practice of market analysts of comparing the target company to the companies acting in the same economic sector.