Report highlights
- The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a U-turn of last quarter’s growing revenue multiples, which has also amplified the decline of EBITDA multiples across all categories. Europe, UK Small & Mid and US Vertical revenue multiples have all sunk to pre-2015 levels.
- US Horizontal revenue multiples have fallen dramatically since their immense growth of 22% last quarter. But, for the first time since mid-2017, US Horizontal EBITDA multiples are now higher than US SaaS multiples, despite having a 3% lower median EBITDA margin.
- US SaaS revenue multiples have crashed by 28%, to a similar level to Q2 2017, despite only a 1% decline in forecast revenue. In practice, most revenue guidance has been suspended. The multiples fall was amplified for EBITDA multiples, where they now lie at 23.7x, plummeting 40% since last quarter.
- Proportionate falls in revenue multiples have been greatest in the US. However, reduction in forecast growth is greatest for UK Small & Mid and Europe, both reducing by 1/3 to c.10%.