If you are a manufacturer with an eye toward retiring and selling or otherwise exiting your business, it is essential to have a recent, accurate understanding of its current financial value. Value Builder, an exit-readiness platform for gauging a company’s readiness for sale and market value, compiles a quarterly Exit Readiness Index, which tracks key metrics in this market.

The Q3 2026 Index reviewed 782 Value Builder exit readiness assessments completed in the quarter, drawn from a longitudinal base of 72,520 businesses across 14 years. The median Value Builder Score slipped to 55 this quarter, and the mean fell from 55.7 in Q2 to 54.8, giving back the gains of the first half.