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Home > QFINANCE Dictionary > Definition of EVA

Definition of

EVA

Finance abbr

evaluating performance by comparing earnings to capital investment economic value added: a way of judging financial performance by measuring the amount by which the earnings of a project, an operation, or a corporation exceed or fall short of the total amount of capital that was originally invested by its owners.

EVA is conceptually simple: from net operating profit, subtract an appropriate charge for the opportunity cost of all capital invested in an enterprise-the amount that could have been invested elsewhere. It is calculated using this formula:

Net operating profit less applicable taxes − Cost of capital = EVA

If a company is considering building a new plant, and its total weighted cost over ten years is $80 million, while the expected annual incremental return on the new operation is $10 million, or $100 million over ten years, then the plant's EVA would be positive, in this case $20 million:

$100 million − $80 million = $20 million

An alternative but more complex formula for EVA is:

(% Return on invested capital − % Cost of capital) × Original capital invested = EVA

EVA is frequently linked with shareholder value analysis, and an objective of EVA is to determine which business units best utilize their assets to generate returns and maximize shareholder value; it can be used to assess a company, a business unit, a single plant, office, or even an assembly line.

EVA - Related Articles
  • Creating Value with EVA

    Best Practice

    At the very least, corporate functions must be informed by value-based thinking—planning, capital allocation, operating budgets, performance measurement, incentive compensation, and corporate communication. EVA is a tool for achieving this. EVA is a measure of performance, but its uses extend
    By S. David Young

  • Why EVA Is the Best Measurement Tool for Creating Shareholder Value

    Best Practice

    The rental charge or required return, known alternatively as the hurdle rate for investments or the weighted average cost of capital, is the true benchmark against which all investments and management should be measured. This is economic value added (EVA).
    By Erik Stern

  • The EVA Challenge: Implementing Value-Added Change in an Organization

    Finance Library

    The EVA Challenge is an introductory overview on the benefits of using Economic Value Added to measure corporate performance, and increase shareholder value. It is a means to alter organizational priorities and behavior, and acts as a basis for incentive compensation, and unity between management

  • Economic Value Added

    Calculations

    The concept’s champions declare that EVA forces managers to focus on true wealth creation and maximizing stockholder investment. By definition, then, increasing EVA will increase a company’s market value.

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Definitions of ’EVA’ and meaning of ’EVA’ are from the book publication, QFINANCE – The Ultimate Resource, © 2009 Bloomsbury Information Ltd. Find definitions for ’EVA’ and other financial terms with our online QFINANCE Financial Dictionary.

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