Fletcher Building Limited (NZSE:FBU) Shares Could Be 49% Below Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

editorial-team@simplywallst.com (Simply Wall St)

Mon, Nov 11, 2024, 5:56 PM 6 min read

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Fletcher Building Limited (NZSE:FBU) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Check out our latest analysis for Fletcher Building

Crunching The Numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034
Levered FCF (NZ$, Millions)	NZ$213.9m	NZ$171.8m	NZ$274.6m	NZ$358.5m	NZ$438.4m	NZ$510.8m	NZ$574.4m	NZ$629.6m	NZ$677.6m	NZ$719.8m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x4	Analyst x5	Analyst x3	Est @ 30.57%	Est @ 22.30%	Est @ 16.50%	Est @ 12.45%	Est @ 9.61%	Est @ 7.63%	Est @ 6.23%
Present Value (NZ$, Millions) Discounted @ 9.9%	NZ$195	NZ$142	NZ$207	NZ$246	NZ$273	NZ$290	NZ$296	NZ$296	NZ$290	NZ$280

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = NZ$2.5b

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₄ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = NZ$720m× (1 + 3.0%) ÷ (9.9%– 3.0%) = NZ$11b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= NZ$11b÷ ( 1 + 9.9%)¹⁰= NZ$4.2b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is NZ$6.7b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of NZ$3.2, the company appears quite undervalued at a 49% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf — NZSE:FBU Discounted Cash Flow November 12th 2024

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Fletcher Building as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.679. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Fletcher Building

Strength

No major strengths identified for FBU.

Weakness

Interest payments on debt are not well covered.

Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.

Opportunity

Expected to breakeven next year.

Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows.

Good value based on P/S ratio and estimated fair value.

Significant insider buying over the past 3 months.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Revenue is forecast to decrease over the next 2 years.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Fletcher Building, there are three important items you should further research:

Risks: As an example, we've found 2 warning signs for Fletcher Building (1 is a bit concerning!) that you need to consider before investing here.
Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for FBU's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.
Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every New Zealander stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.