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Market to book value multiple meaning

What does Market to book value multiple mean?
In legal practice, the market-to-book value multiple describes the ratio of a company’s market capitalisation to the book value of equity (shareholders’ funds/net assets attributable to ordinary shareholders). It is used in valuation across M&A, takeovers under the UK Takeover Code and the Irish Takeover Rules, capital markets documentation and expert evidence in shareholder disputes (unfair prejudice buy-outs), to benchmark pricing alongside other valuation multiples. This is not defined in legislation or case law; it is a descriptive corporate finance measure applied consistently in England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Inputs are usually: (i) market capitalisation (current share price x issued ordinary shares, excluding treasury shares); and (ii) book value from the latest accounts prepared under IFRS or UK/Irish GAAP (FRS 102), adjusted to exclude non-controlling interests and preference shares, and for material post-balance sheet events. The multiple signals whether the market prices equity at a premium or discount to recorded net assets, and is often more informative for asset-intensive sectors (notably banks and insurers). Caution: it can be distorted by accounting policies, goodwill and unrecognised intangible assets; for private companies, practitioners commonly infer a proxy from comparable listed companies rather than calculate it directly.
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