
One of the main drawbacks in residual income and EVA is that they are absolute figures, which make it difficult to be used effectively for comparison purpose. Thus, tax, which is an uncontrollable expense that is not directly related to the use of assets, reduces the effectiveness of EVA as an investment decision tool. The basis of these measures is to identify how effectively a company utilized its assets. The only notable difference between residual income and EVA is resulting from tax payment since residual income is calculated on net operating profit before tax whereas EVA considers the profit after tax. Residual income is more effective compared to EVA.ĮVA is less effective than Residual Income due to tax adjustments.ĮVA = Net Operating Profit After Tax – (Operating Assets* Cost of Capital) Residual income calculates the amount of asset utilization based on net operating profitĮVA calculates the amount of asset utilization based on net operating profit after tax.

This is because more assets are required to produce a similar income to division A. Consider two operating divisions and their Residual Incomes as per below.Įven though the above two divisions make similar profits, the asset base of division B is significantly higher than division A, thus its residual income is lower. RI can provide insight into the rate of return on invested assets in different divisions.Į.g. Since the actual profit of the division exceeds this, the division has recorded residual income of $8,300. The finance charge of $11,700 represents the minimum return required by the providers of finance on the $90,000 capital they provided. The weighted average cost of capital of the company is 13%, and this is used when calculating the finance charge. Company’s asset base was $90,000, comprising of both debt and equity. Division A made a profit of $20,000 during the most recent financial year.

This is the minimum rate that should be achieved in order to create shareholder value.Į.g. WACC calculates an average cost of capital considering the weightages of both equity and debt components. The rate of return to be provided for debtholders Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) The rate of return to be provided for shareholders Cost of Debt

Evaluating investment opportunities is important in order to realize the respective costs and benefits of each investment option.
