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Pls evaluate for me the investing prospects for: Comcast, Sprint, MCI, TCI, in the mid-late 1970s without using EBITDA or similar metrics. Or Mirage Resorts/Wynn years before their casinos actually opened and they had years of buildout and CapEx expenses.
When a company has no earnings and only real assets are some 'newly minted technology', or vacant unfinished building, what do you use?
http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=WYNN
OpIncome negative 2001-05 inclusive.
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Najdor,
Reading your request, I think I now *understand* why Buffett doesn't use EBITDA.
1. He doesn't like a company without real earnings; he wants earnings now, not forecast. "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
2. He also doesn't like capital-intensive assets. Over time, maintaining those assets and the risk of inflation are going to be tough for a business to be profitable.
3. The companies you gave me are too tough for me to try to evaluate.
Thanks! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]