CFA L2 Equity Valuation (Part 2) Flashcards
Price multiples
Ratios of a stock’s market price to some measure of fundamental value per share. These are commonly used in equity valuation.
Enterprise value multiples
Ratios of the total value of a company to a measure of operating earnings generated (ex: EBITDA)
Momentum indicators
Compare a stock’s price or a company’s earnings to their values in earlier periods.
- Relative strength is generally considered a momentum valuation indicator.
Comparables method to equity valuation
Values a stock based on the average price multiple of the stock of similar companies. This is a form of RELATIVE valuation so we say that a stock is RELATIVELY overvalued or RELATIVELY undervalued compared to a benchmark.
- The economic rationale for the method of comparables is the Law of One Price, which assets that two similar assets should sell at comparable price multiples
Steps to comparables approach
- Select & calculate the multiple being used.
- Select the benchmark and calculate the mean or median of its multiple over a group of comparable stocks.
- Compare #1 to #2
- Examine whether any observed difference between the multiples of the stock and the benchmark are explained by the underlying determinants of the multiple, and make appropriate valuation adjustments.
Method of comparables example:
Firm A’s shares are selling for $50. Earnings for the last 12 months were $2 per share, and the average industry trailing P/E ratio was 32X. Determine whether firm A is overvalued or undervalued using the method of comparables.
Firm A’s trailing P/E ratio = $50 ÷ $2 = 25X.
Firm A’s 25X < industry average 32X → Firm A is RELATIVELY undervalued
Method of forecasted fundamentals
Values a stock based on the ratio of its DCF value to some fundamental variable (ex: EPS).
- The economic rationale is that the value used in the numerator of the justified price multiple is derived from a DCF model: value is equal to the PV of expected FCFs discounted at the appropriate risk-adjusted rate of return.
Method of forecasted fundamentals example:
Firm A’s shares are selling for $30. The average analyst EPS forecast is $4.00. The long-run growth rate is 5%, firm A’s dividend payout ratio is 60%, and the required return is 14%. Calculate the fundamental value of Firm A using the GGM and determine whether Firm A’s shares are over- or undervalued using the method of forecasted fundamentals.
V0 = D1 ÷ (r - g)
V0 = ($4 * .6) ÷ (.14 - .05) = $26.67
Firm A’s MV P/E ratio = ($26.67 ÷ $4)= 6.67X
The observed P/E ratio= ($30 ÷ $4) = 7.5X
Firm A is relatively overvalued
What is a justified price multiple/intrinsic multiple?
What the price multiple should be if the stock is fairly valued.
True or false: If the actual multiple is < than the justified price multiple, the stock is overvalued; if the actual multiple is > than the justified multiple, the stock is undervalued?
False, if the actual multiple is > than the justified price multiple, the stock is overvalued; if the actual multiple is < than the justified multiple, the stock is undervalued
Pros and cons of using P/E ratio in valuation
Pros: P/E ratio is a popular metric. Earnings power is the primary determinent of an investment’s value. Empirical research shows that P/E differences are significantly related to long-run average stock returns. Lastly, the P/E ratio can be used as a proxy for risk & growth.
Cons: Negative earnings makes P/E ratios meaningless. Different accounting practices can make it hard to compare P/E ratios. If earnings are volatile, P/E ratios can become meaningless. Lastly, solely relying on this ratio means that the analyst does not take into account risk, growth, CF, etc.
True or false: Typically, analysts leave noncrecurring items in P/E multiples?
False, typically analysts want to subtract large nonrecurring gains out of earnings (ex: large gain/loss on sale, impairments, loss provisions, etc.) before calculating P/E.
How to adjust EPS to remove cyclical components of earnings and capture mid-cycle or an average of earnings under normal conditions?
There are two methods to normalize earnings:
1. Use average ROE * BVPS of most recent year
2. Use average EPS
How to adjust for negative earnings when calculating P/E?
Using the inverse, earnings yield (E/P). Since price is never negative, there is no issue. A high E/P suggests a cheap security and vice versa.
- A common pitfall of earnings yield is look-ahead bias.
What is the main driver between differences in P/E ratios between companies?
Growth
PEG ratio
Calculates a stock’s P/E ratio per unit of expected growth
Calculation: (P/E) ÷ g
- Lower PEG = more attractive valuation
- Higher PEG= less attractive valuation
- PEG ratio isn’t perfect, it doesn’t take into account risk tolerances or duration of growth. Also, growth and value are not perfectly linear.
P/B ratio
(MVE ÷ BV of equity) OR (market price per share ÷ BV per share) OR [ (ROE - g) ÷ (r - g) ]
- If P/B = 1, the company is earning exactly its required rate of return
- Low P/B = undervalued
- Usually based on trailing BVs
BV of equity
Common shareholders’ equity OR (TA - TL) - PS
Advantages of using P/B ratio
- P/B is a cumulative value, and thus ALMOST ALWAYS positive.
- BV is more stable than EPS
- BV is an appropriate measure of net asset value for firms that primarily hold liquid assets.
- P/B can be useful in valuing companies that are expected to go out of business.
- Empirical research shows that P/B differences are significantly related to long-run average stock returns.
Disadvantages of using P/B ratio
- P/B does not reflect the value of intangible economic assets, such as human capital.
- P/B can be misleading when it comes to asset size. (ex: a firm that oursources a lot of its production will have lower assets and higher P/B)
- Different accounting practices can make it hard to compare firms using P/B.
- Inflation and tech change can cause BV and MV of assets to differ significantly,
What adjustments need to be made to BV when comparing firms using P/B?
Analysts often use tangible BV, which is BV of equity - intangible assets. Firms should also adjust for off b/s assets and liabilities. Lastly, firms using FIFO or LIFO often have to be restated to a consistent method.
True or false: Earnings are more easily manipulated than BV, BV is more easily manipulated than sales, and sales are more easily manipulated than CF?
True
P/S ratio
MVE ÷ total sales OR market price per share ÷ sales per share OR [ (E0 ÷ S0) * (1 - b) * (1 + g) ] ÷ (r - g) OR net margin * trailing P/E
*Usually based on trailing sales
* E0 ÷ S0 = profit margin
* r = required return
* g= sustainable growth rate
* b = dividend payout ratio
* low P/S = undervalued
Advantages of P/S
- Sales revenue is ALWAYS positive.
- Not as easily manipulated as P/B or P/E.
- Sales is less volatile compared to earnings.
- P/S ratios are often used for valuing stocks in mature or cyclical industries and start-up companies w/ no record of earnings. It’s also often used to value investment management companies and partnerships. It’s also used for zero-income stocks.
- Empirical research shows that P/S differences are significantly related to long-run average stock returns.
Disadvantages of P/S
- High growth in sales doesn’t necessarily indicate high operating profits as measured by earnings and CF.
- P/S ratios do not capture differences in cost structures across companies.
- While less vulnerable to distortion, revenue recognition practices can still distort sales forecasts.
Justified P/S ratio
Firm A has a dividend payout ratio of 40%, an ROE of 8.3%, an EPS of $4.25, sales per share of $218.75, and an expected growth rate in dividends and earnings of 5%. The required rate of return on equity is 10%. What is the justified P/S?
P/S = [ ($4.25 ÷ $218.75) * (.4) * (1 + .05) ] ÷ (.1 - .05) = 0.16X
P/CF ratio
How much cash a firm generates relative to its stock price
Calculation: MVE ÷ CFO
OR
[ FCFE0 * (1 + g) ] ÷ (r - g)
- Low P/CF means undervalued
Advantages of P/CF
- CF is difficult for mgmt to manipulate
- P/CF is stable
- Using P/CF mitigates the issue of quality of reporting.
- Empirical research shows that P/CF differences are significantly related to long-run average stock returns.
Disadvantages of P/CF
- There are four definitions of CF on the exam:
(1) earnings + NCC- this definition ignores some key CF items (ex: changes in NWC), (2) Adjusted CFO- IFRS and GAAP have different reporting standards making it difficult to compare firms, (3) FCFE- more volatile than regular CF, (4) EBITDA- is a pretax, pre-interest measure that represents a flow to both equity and debt. Thus, it is better suited as an indicator of total company value than just equity value - From a theoretical perspective, free cash flow to equity (FCFE) is preferable to CFO. However, FCFE is more volatile than CFO and more difficult to compute, so it is not necessarily more informative.
- FCFE can be negative if there are large investments in CAPEX
- Assume in an exam question that we need to use FCFE. If there’s not enough info to calculate FCFE, then use CFO.
Dividend yield (D/P)
The ratio of the common dividend to the market price. It is most often used for valuing indexes.
Trailing D/P: (4 * most recent quarterly dividend) ÷ market price per share
Leading D/P: (forecasted dividend over the next four quarters) ÷ market price per share
Justified D/P = (r - g) ÷ (1 + g)
Pros and cons of D/P:
Pros: dividends contribute to total investment return and are not as risky as the capital appreciation component of total return.
Cons: D/P ignores capital appreciation. Also, The dividend displacement of earnings concept argues that dividends paid now displace future earnings, which implies a trade-off between current and future cash flows.
Underlying earnings
Core earnings that are considered sustainable. When analysts are forecasting earnings, they focus on these.
Molodovsky Effect
The countercyclical tendancy for companies to have high P/Es due to lower EPS at the bottom of the business cycle and low P/Es due to high EPS at the top of the business cycle
Justified EV/EBITDA
Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA
- EBITDA is a proxy for CF
- Lower actuals than benchmark indicates undervalued.
- Positively related to the growth rate in FCFF and EBITDA.
- Negatively related to the firm’s overall risk level and WACC
Pros and cons of EV/EBITDA
Pros: Controls for different interest and D&A between firms. Also, EBITDA is usually positive when EPS is negative.
Cons: This ratio ignores changes in WC and also ignores FCFF, which is closely tied to firm value.
Enterprise value
MV of common stock + MV of debt + MV preferred - cash & investments
What is the rationale for subtracting cash and investments in enterprise value?
The rationale for subtracting cash and investments is that an acquirer’s net price paid for an acquisition target would be lowered by the amount of the target’s liquid assets. Thus, enterprise value indicates the value of the overall company, not equity.
True or false: P/E can be estimated by using a linear regression of historical P/Es on its fundamental variables, including expected growth and risk?
True
What are the 3 limitations of using regression analysis to estimate P/E?
- The predictive power of the estimated P/E regression for a different time period and/or sample of stocks is uncertain.
- The relationships between P/E and the fundamental variables may change over time.
- Multicollinearity is often a problem in these time series regressions, which makes it difficult to interpret individual regression coefficients.
True or false: Firms with multiples below the benchmark are undervalued, and firms with multiples above the benchmark are overvalued?
True
The FED Model
A valuation model used to determine whether the overall stock market is overvalued. This model that says the overall market is overvalued (undervalued) when the earnings yield (E/P ratio) on the S&P 500 Index is lower (higher) than the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds.
Yardeni Model
A valuation model used to determine whether the overall stock market is overvalued.
Formula: CEY = CBY - (k * LTEG) + εi
- CEY = Current earnings yield of the market
- CBY= Current yield on A-rated Moody’s bond
- k = constant assigned by the market to earnings growth (about 0.20 in recent years)
- LTEG= long-term earnings growth rate
Reciprocol of Yardeni Model
P/E = 1 ÷ (CBY - k * LTEG)
This shows that the P/E ratio is negatively related to interest rates and positively related to growth.
True or false: No matter which ratio is used, terminal value is calculated as the quotient of the price multiple (ex: P/E ratio) and the fundamental variable (ex: EPS)?
False, product
Total invested capital/market value of invested capital
The value of a firm. It is the market value of the company’s equity and debt. Unlike enterprise value, TIC includes cash and short-term investments.
Sources of differences in cross-border valuation comparisons:
- Accounting differences
- Cultural differences
- Economic differences
- Differences in risk
- Different growth opportunities
Unexpected earnings/earnings surprise
The difference between reported earnings and expected earnings
Formula: reported EPS − expected EPS
Standardized unexpected earnings (SUE)
Earnings surprise ÷ standard deviation of earnings surprise
True or false: the price-to-earnings multiple for a stock index is equal to the weighted arithmatic mean?
False, the price-to-earnings multiple for a stock index is equal to the weighted harmonic mean
Weighted harmonic mean
1 ÷ [ (W1 ÷ X1) + (W2 ÷ X2) … + (Wn ÷ Xn) ]
Rationale for the residual income approach
This approach recognizes the cost of equity capital in the measurement of income, which is not done in other approaches. Residual income deducts all costs of capital
Difference between standard accounting net profit and economic profit
Traditional accounting NI reflects earnings available to shareholders. NI includes an interest expense to represent the cost of debt capital.
Economic profit is NI minus a charge that measures stockholders’ opportunity cost of capital
Economic value added (EVA)
The value added for shareholders by mgmt during a given year. Positive EVA signals mgmt is adding value.
Calculation: NOPAT - (WACC * total capital)
OR
[ EBIT * (1 - T) ] - $WACC
- NOPAT = Net operating profit after taxes
- $WACC = Dollar cost of capital
- Use BOY total capital
NOPAT calculation
EBIT * (1 - T)
Market Value Added (MVA)
The PV of future expected EVA. The difference between the MV of a firm’s long-term debt and equity and the BV of invested capital supplied by investors. It measures the value created by mgmt’s decisions since the firm’s inception.
Calculation: MV of total capital - BV of total capital
- Use EOY total capital
EVA and MVA example:
Firm A reports NOPAT of $2,100, a WACC of 14.2%, and invested capital of $18,000 at the BOY and $21,000 at the EOY. The market price (year-end) of the firm’s stock is $25 per share, and there are 800 shares outstanding. The market value (year-end) of the firm’s long-term debt is $4,000. Calculate VBM’s EVA and MVA.
EVA = $2100 - (.142 * $18,000) = -456
MV of company = ($25 * 800) + 4000 = $24,000
MVA = $24,000 - $21,000 = $3,000
What adjustments must be made to the financial statements before calculating NOPAT and invested capital?
- Capitalize and amortize R&D charges (rather than expense them), and add them back to earnings to calculate NOPAT.
- Add back charges on strategic investments that will generate returns in the future.
- Eliminate any deferred taxes.
- Treat operating leases as capital leases and adjust nonrecurring items.
- Add LIFO reserve to invested capital and add back change in LIFO reserve to NOPAT.