Grasping the Intangible - How intangible assets reveal latent value
It has long been accepted practice to account for intangible assets when valuing companies. Over time this has increased in importance. But valuation methods vary and there are big differences in how investors approach the subject. There is also much debate on the adequacy of existing accounting methods for successfully valuing intangibles. Accounting standards developed during the industrial era were designed for companies primarily engaged in manufacturing. Today, these standards are not keeping pace as the global economy shifts to a services-oriented model.
While the lack of a uniform definition may create uncertainty, it also has a practical aspect: Since there is ambiguity in determining the specific benefits intangibles may bring, or even what should be considered outside of financial statements, an information advantage exists for research intensive investors who are better able to value a company’s intangible assets.
With cases where intangibles have proven to increase share value and contribute to excess total returns we commissioned Institutional Investor’s Custom Research Lab to conduct an industrywide global survey of investment professionals to capture their views on the role of intangibles in investing, to explore methodologies for measuring them, and evaluate approaches to differentiate intangibles.
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