cloudedjudgement.substack.com · 2020-08-28 · 2106d

Clouded Judgement: SaaS Valuation Trends & Direct Listing Reform

This weekly SaaS valuation update analyzes earnings announcements and multiples across 10 public software companies, highlighting the SEC's approval of direct listings with primary capital issuance as a significant alternative to traditional IPOs. The article presents detailed operating metrics, revenue multiples, and share price movements for the week, with median SaaS valuations at 15.1x NTM revenue and high-growth companies commanding 31.8x multiples.

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Metrics in this report

CAC Payback Period

29months

median

Public SaaS companies

EV/NTM Revenue Multiple - High Growth

31.8x

median

SaaS companies with >30% NTM growth

EV/NTM Revenue Multiple - Low Growth

9.4x

median

SaaS companies with <15% NTM growth

EV/NTM Revenue Multiple - Mid Growth

17.5x

median

SaaS companies with 15-30% NTM growth

EV/NTM Revenue Multiple - Overall Median

15.1x

median

Public SaaS companies (mixed growth rates)

FCF Margin

4percent

median

Public SaaS companies

Gross Margin

73percent

median

Public SaaS companies

LTM Revenue Growth Rate

31percent

median

Public SaaS companies

NTM Revenue Growth Rate

19percent

median

Public SaaS companies

Net Revenue Retention

116percent

median

Public SaaS companies

Operating Margin

-16percent

median

Public SaaS companies

Top 10 EV/NTM Revenue Multiple

37.1x

average

Highest-valued SaaS companies (Bill.com, Coupa, Shopify, Zoom, etc.)

Top 10 EV/NTM Revenue Multiple

37.6x

median

Highest-valued SaaS companies