Dominik Degen, Axel Dickenbrok, Jana Herfurth, Jens Kengelbach, Bernhard Schwetzler

• Multiple expansion—selling an asset or company at exit for a higher valuation multiple than the valuation multiple paid at entry—is one of three main value creation strategies for private equity (PE) firms, in addition to financial leverage and operational improvements. Multiple expansion contributes significantly to overall deal performance. However, it remains to be seen whether this contribution is driven by luck (e.g., by riding market tailwinds) or is a systematic component that outperforms market movements in any direction. Building on recent research, this paper analyzes the effect and impact of the spread between entry and exit valuation multiples and compares it with the expansion achieved by a benchmark that tracks market movement.