Shareholder Value Added (SVA) is a performance-based measure of the overall financial value created for shareholders of publicly-traded companies. It is a measure of a company's effectiveness in generating wealth for its shareholders by creating operating profits more than its total cost of capital. It is a comprehensive financial metric that measures how much shareholders are able to make by investing in a company above and beyond the return they would receive if they invested the same amount of money in the stock market.

The SVA formula is based on Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT). It represents the earnings after tax deducted from a company’s operating profits. The calculation of SVA starts by subtracting the total cost of capital of the company from its NOPAT calculation. This cost includes the interest paid on long-term debts, the return on equity investments, and other related costs.

The goal of SVA is to assess how much utility a company’s shareholders have received from their investments in the business. A high result on the SVA means that the company has managed to generate a significantly higher return than what a generic stock market investment would have brought in over the same period.

SVA is a useful tool for evaluating a company’s financial performance and the health of its balance sheet. It can help investors determine whether their money is being invested prudently. It can also be used to evaluate the viability and soundness of a company’s business model and how well it has deployed its capital.

A disadvantage of SVA is that it cannot be easily applied to privately held companies since it requires accurate access to financial data which is usually not disclosed. Additionally, accurately calculating the cost of capital requires a thorough understanding of the company’s operations. This can be difficult for an investor who is not familiar with the company’s business.

In conclusion, SVA is a valuable tool for companies and investors, providing a comprehensive measure of the financial value created for shareholders. However, due to its complexity and data requirements, it is not suitable for every company and should be used prudently.