See what returns a private equity investor could get from buying a company, holding it for five years and selling it under different conditions.

The main inputs are what multiple of EBITDA the buyout shop pays for its acquisition, what multiple it gets when it sells, how much debt is used to fund the purchase, and how fast profit can grow.

The calculator assumes that whatever profit isn’t eaten up in interest, capital expenditure (set at 20 percent of EBITDA) and tax is used to pay down debt.

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