Internal rate of return (IRR)

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== Abstract ==
 
== Abstract ==
  
The '''Internal Rate of Return (IRR)''' is a discounted cash flow method used in [[Wikipedia: capital budgeting |capital budgeting]] and [[Wikipedia: corporate finance |corporate finance]] for estimating and evaluating the profitability of potential investments. Starting from the [[Wikipedia: Net present value |Net present value]]'s formula, the discount rate that makes the present value of costs (negative cash flows)of an investment equal to the present value of benefits (positive cash flows) in a discounted cash flow analysis is called Internal Rate of Return. In other words, the IRR is the discount giving a net present value of zero when applied to the expected cash flow of a project. This rate of return is called "internal" because the formula provides a rate that depends only on the project, more precisely on the cash flows of the project, and does not depend on external factors such as market interest rates.  
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The '''Internal Rate of Return (IRR)''' is a discounted cash flow method used in [[Wikipedia: capital budgeting |capital budgeting]] and [[Wikipedia: corporate finance |corporate finance]] to estimate and evaluate the profitability of potential investments. Starting from the formula of [[Wikipedia: Net present value |Net present value]], the discount rate that makes the present value of the costs (negative cash flows) of an investment equal to the present value of the benefits (positive cash flows) in a discounted cash flow analysis is called '''Internal Rate of Return'''. In other words, the IRR is the discount that gives a net present value of zero when applied to the expected cash flow of a project. This rate of return is called "internal" because the formula predicts a rate that depends only on the project, more precisely on the project's cash flows, and does not depend on external factors such as market interest rates.  
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To understand which project among the different projects the company should undertake, the IRR offers a method of decision criteria that allows management to have an overview of the profitability of multiple investments with a single calculation. The net present value method determines the discounted monetary value ($) that the project should produce considering a fixed discount rate. It means that for more rates you will have more net present values. The internal rate of return is that particular rate for which NPV = 0. This information combined with the relationship between NPV and the discount rate allows management to undertake the most profitable project among multiple projects. In general, as analyzed below, the higher the Internal Rate of Return of a project, the more desirable the investment to be made.
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In order to understand which project among multiple ones should be undertaken by the company, the IRR offers a decision-criteria method that allows management to understand the profitability of multiple projects with a single calculation, and it becomes more useful when used in conjunction with other investment analysis methods such as the NPV method. The IRR derives from the NPV as the formula is the same but the unknown is different and the unit of measurement is also different: the IRR method returns the rate return that the project is expected to generate over the time horizon, the NPV method instead determines the discounted monetary value that the project is expected to produce. Because of their relation, IRR and NPV are commonly used together to analyze the profitability of a project. In general, the higher the Internal Rate of Return of a project, the more desirable the investment to be made.
 
  
  

Revision as of 18:47, 12 February 2022

[Lorenzo Incarnato s220426]


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Contents

Abstract

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a discounted cash flow method used in capital budgeting and corporate finance to estimate and evaluate the profitability of potential investments. Starting from the formula of Net present value, the discount rate that makes the present value of the costs (negative cash flows) of an investment equal to the present value of the benefits (positive cash flows) in a discounted cash flow analysis is called Internal Rate of Return. In other words, the IRR is the discount that gives a net present value of zero when applied to the expected cash flow of a project. This rate of return is called "internal" because the formula predicts a rate that depends only on the project, more precisely on the project's cash flows, and does not depend on external factors such as market interest rates.

To understand which project among the different projects the company should undertake, the IRR offers a method of decision criteria that allows management to have an overview of the profitability of multiple investments with a single calculation. The net present value method determines the discounted monetary value ($) that the project should produce considering a fixed discount rate. It means that for more rates you will have more net present values. The internal rate of return is that particular rate for which NPV = 0. This information combined with the relationship between NPV and the discount rate allows management to undertake the most profitable project among multiple projects. In general, as analyzed below, the higher the Internal Rate of Return of a project, the more desirable the investment to be made.



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Time value of money

IRR: definition and formula

Decision criteria

IRR in practice

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) vs Return on Investment (ROI) vs Net Present Value (NPV)

Draft: IRR vs VAN

While the first method provides information on the actual benefit or loss, in terms of money, that the investment will generate in the horizontal period based on the discount rate and, therefore, if the discount rate changes, the result of the Present Value will also be modified. The second method provides information on the percentage rate such that the NPV is zero. This information allows the company to quickly decide whether to invest in the project or not .........

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