What Is the Profitability Index? Definition & Calculation

The only difference between two is that the NPV shows an absolute value whereas the PI measures the relative value in ratio  format. Since the PI is greater than 1, the project is considered profitable and worth pursuing. The profitability index rule is a variation of the net present value (NPV) rule. In general, a positive NPV will correspond with a profitability index that is greater than one. A negative NPV will correspond with a profitability index that is below one.

1. The formula for Profitability Index is simple and it is calculated by dividing the present value of all the future cash flows of the project by the initial investment in the project.
2. The Profitability Index (PI) measures the ratio between the present value of future cash flows and the initial investment.
3. The higher a profitability index means a project has benefits and would be considered more attractive.
4. Profitability index (PI) is the ratio of present value of a project’s expected future cash flow and initial investment needed to undertake the project.
5. The rule is that a profitability index or ratio greater than 1 indicates that the project should proceed.
6. The profitability index is calculated by dividing the present value of future cash flows that will be generated by the project by the initial cost of the project.

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The new factory project is expected to cost $2 million and generate cash flows of $300,000 per year for the next 5 years, also with a discount rate of 10%. The profitability index helps rank projects because it lets investors quantify the value created per each investment unit. A profitability index of 1.0 is the lowest acceptable measure on the index.

How to calculate profitability index?

At the beginning of the project, the initial investment required for the project is $10,000, and the discounting rate is 10%. Get new tipps on retirement savings, investment decisions and antifraud tipps. Using the PI formula, Company A should do Project A. Project A creates value – Every $1 invested in the project generates $.0684 in additional value.

Other names used for profitability index are the value investment ratio (VIR) and the profit investment ratio (PIR). For example, a project with an initial investment of $1 million and a types of purchase order processes and purchase order examples present value of future cash flows of $1.2 million would have a profitability index of 1.2. Based on the profitability index rule, the project would proceed, even though the initial capital expenditure required are not identified. The Profitability Index (PI) measures the ratio between the present value of future cash flows and the initial investment. The index is a useful tool for ranking investment projects and showing the value created per unit of investment.

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However, if they are added together, the sum total is larger than project 1’s NPV. The common sense here dictates that the company should choose both project 2 and 3, and leave the first one. We can see that the PI number obtained through our incremental analysis is greater than 1. The profitability index, in fact, is another way of representing the net present value model.

The profitability index can also get referred to as the benefit-cost ratio. Even though some projects have higher net present values, they might not have the highest profitability index. The PI ratio will result in a number that is 1, less than 1 or bigger than 1. Generally the PI ratio of 1 is least acceptable as it represents the break even point of a project, which defines the point where total sales (revenue) equal to the total cost. A PI ratio of less than 1 is completely undesirable as it represents that a project will cost more than it is expected to earn.

By understanding PI, businesses can make more informed decisions that align with their financial goals. The profitability index is calculated by dividing the present value of future cash flows that will be generated by the project by the initial cost of the project. After drawing up a business plan, a farmer determined that the initial investment of $500,000 was needed to expand his poultry farm if he wanted to meet the demand from restaurants in a new town. When the future cash flows of five years from the poultry sales are discounted at a rate of 10%, the total sum of the present value (PV) is $800,000. In conclusion, the Profitability Index is a potent tool for investors and companies seeking to maximize their capital’s impact.

The NPV method reveals exactly how profitable a project will be in comparison to alternatives. When weighing several positive NPV options, the ones with the higher discounted values should be accepted. To find more attractive investments, look for a profitability index that is the highest. This shows that the project will generate value for your business and it can be a good investment. We can use the profitability index calculator in advanced mode to choose which line of products would be most beneficial to undertake.

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Theoretically, it reveals unprofitability of a proposed investment and suggests rejection of the same. In general terms, the higher the PI metric, the more attractive a proposed investment is. The profitability index helps compare and contrast investments and projects a company is considering.

Regardless of the type of business you operate or your industry, generating a profit is critical to growing and expanding. And when it comes to projects or possible investments, understanding the benefits you can receive is important. To determine this project’s profitability index, you can input the initial investment cost and the present value given into the PI calculator in simple mode.

Download CFI’s Excel template to advance your finance knowledge and perform better financial analysis. Ascertain whether an investment is viable with computed input of ROI to allow an informed decision on investment management. Now that we have obtained the PI value for both the projects, let’s look into its application for appraising projects. However, both PIs are less than 1.0, so the company may forgo either project.

PI ratio compares the present value of future cash flows from an investment against the cost of making that investment. Running a profitable business demands a lot of investments and assessing them for income taxes payable on balance sheet profitability is essential. The profitability index (PI), also known as profit investment ratio (PIR) is a method to describe the relationship between cost and benefits of a project. For instance, two projects may be viable because they have positive NPV values of $1,000 even though one has an initial investment of $1,000 while the other has an initial investment of $1,000,000. But we know that the project with a lower upfront amount is a far better investment. Thus, we need their PI values, which reflect this vital information such that the lower upfront investment has a PI of 2.00 while the higher upfront investment has a PI of 1.01.

If you want to learn how to calculate your project’s profitability index or learn how discounting works, keep reading! This article addresses how to use the profitability index calculation to rank project investments and quantify the enterprise value created. As per the formula of the profitability index, it can be seen that the project will create an additional value of $1.003 for every $1 invested in the project. Therefore, the project is worth investing since then it is more than 1.00.

The higher a profitability index means a project has benefits and would be considered more attractive. It can be very helpful in ranking potential projects in order to let investors quantify their value. The concept of profitability index formula is very important from the point of view of project finance. It is a handy tool to use when one needs to decide whether to invest in a project or not. The index can be used for ranking project investment in terms of value created per unit of investment. The profitability index considers the time value of money, allows companies to compare projects with different lifespans, and helps companies with capital constraints choose investments.

Imagine a company is considering an investment project that requires an initial investment of $100,000. The expected future cash flows over the next five years are projected to be $25,000, $30,000, $35,000, $40,000, and $45,000, respectively. If the company’s discount rate is 10%, the present value of these cash flows can be calculated using the formula for the present value of an annuity. Once the present value is determined, it is divided by the initial investment to find the PI. The Profitability Index (PI) or profit investment ratio (PIR) is a widely used measure for evaluating viability and profitability of an investment project.