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TSMC valuation exercise: market cap, EV and multiples vs competitors

Contract chip manufacturing. We rebuild its market value from the price, split it into its parts, and compare its multiples with those of its largest competitors.

Verified figures, not advice. Every number on this page comes from the company's own filings or from exchange prices, and the source is linked. Every calculation is shown, so you can repeat it. What we do not do is tell you what a share should be worth or whether to buy it: that depends on your goals and on forecasts, and no multiple can settle it. This is a snapshot: prices of 12 Oct 2026, company results up to mid 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us and we correct it.

Step 1. Market capitalisation

StepNumberWhere it comes from
Share price (nominal value)
$444.35
Close of 12 Oct 2026
Shares outstanding
5.19 bn
Latest report or filing, as of 2026-06-30
Market capitalisation
$2.30tn
Price x shares

Market capitalisation is the value the stock market puts on all the shares together. It is the nominal share price multiplied by the number of shares.

Step 2. How the value is composed

Building blockAmountMeaning
Market capitalisation
$2.30tn
What the market asks for all the shares
+ Debt
$32.3bn
Borrowings, leases for premises excluded
- Cash
$98.3bn
Cash and equivalents
- Short-term investments
$12.0bn
Marketable securities due within a year
+ Minority interests
$1.3bn
Part of subsidiaries owned by others
Enterprise value (EV)
$2.23tn
The price of the whole business, as a buyer would see it

Of the $2.30tn market value, accounting book equity is $201.7bn. The remaining $2.10tn is what investors pay above the books: brands, software, customer relationships and expected growth that the balance sheet does not record. Price to book is 11.4x.

Step 3. Fundamentals, last twelve months

Last twelve monthsAmountMargin or note
Revenue
$139.2bn
Up to 2026-06-30
Operating income
$78.1bn
56% of revenue
EBITDA
$99.7bn
72% of revenue
Net income (GAAP)
$70.1bn
50% of revenue
Free cash flow
$35.9bn
Operating cash flow minus capital spending

Step 4. Multiples against the largest competitors

MultipleTSMCINTCGFSPeer meanPeer medianvs median
P/E (price / net income)
32.9x
n.m.
37.7x
37.7x
37.7x
-13%
EV / sales
16.0x
10.0x
3.7x
6.9x
6.9x
+133%
EV / EBITDA
22.3x
46.5x
13.6x
30.0x
30.0x
-26%
EV / operating income
28.5x
n.m.
32.1x
32.1x
32.1x
-11%
P / free cash flow
64.3x
189.2x
33.9x
111.6x
111.6x
-42%

Context: TSMC earns an EBITDA margin of 72%. The peers earn 22%, 27% (median 24%). A company that keeps more of each dollar of sales often trades at a higher multiple.

Few listed companies make chips for others at this scale. Intel and GlobalFoundries are the closest listed comparisons, and both earn much less.

What the comparison shows

  • EV / EBITDA: 22.3x against a peer median of 30.0x (mean 30.0x). Difference to the median: -26%.
  • EV / sales: 16.0x against a peer median of 6.9x (mean 6.9x). Difference: +133%.
  • P/E: 32.9x against a peer median of 37.7x. Difference: -13%.

These are descriptions of today's prices, not forecasts. "n.m." means not meaningful, for example negative profit.

Where the comparison is distorted

  • TSMC reports in Taiwan dollars. Figures are converted into dollars at one rate (31.9 per dollar, 12 Oct 2026). Net income includes a gain of about $2bn on the sale of a stake in VIS in May 2026. It is priced as an ADS, one ADS being 5 shares.
  • Intel net income is negative, so its P/E does not apply.
  • GlobalFoundries has only a minor part of the contract chip market.

Sources

Prices of 12 Oct 2026 from exchange historical data. Share counts, debt, cash and results from each company's filings, read on 13 and 14 October 2026. Foreign companies are converted at one stated rate.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM)
  • sec.gov (shares_outstanding, Q2 2026 / 6M 2026 and 6M 2025 income sta)
  • sec.gov (FY2025 income statement, cash flow)
  • sec.gov (20-F FY2025)
  • cbc.gov.tw (fx_note TWD/USD 2026-10-12)
Intel Corporation (INTC)
GlobalFoundries Inc. (GFS)
  • sec.gov (shares_outstanding)
  • sec.gov (shares_outstanding)
  • sec.gov (March 2026 secondary offering / $300m repurchase)
  • sec.gov (Q2 2026 earnings release)
  • sec.gov (FY2025 income statement, cash flow, other income, taxes)
  • data.sec.gov (XBRL facts)

Questions people ask

Does a higher multiple than competitors mean the share is overvalued?

No. It means investors pay more per dollar of sales or profit. The reason can be faster growth, higher margins or lower risk, or it can be excess optimism. A multiple gap is a question to investigate, not an answer.

Why use enterprise value and not only market cap?

Market cap prices the shares only. Enterprise value adds debt and subtracts cash, so it compares the whole business regardless of how it is financed.

Why show both the mean and the median of competitors?

The mean is pulled up by one extreme value. The median is the middle value and resists outliers. When they differ a lot, trust the median more.

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