Smart Series Expansion Will Serve Affordable Housing Needs Of First-Time Buyers

Key Takeaways

• Expanding the Smart Series targets first-time homebuyers, boosting revenue by addressing affordable housing needs in a large market.
  
• Strategic land positioning and low debt levels enhance margins and earnings, supporting stable growth amid interest rate volatility.
  
• Rising interest rates, macroeconomic shifts, natural disasters, and competition could pressure M/I Homes' sales growth, margins, and long-term profitability.

Catalysts

Engages in the construction and sale of single-family residential homes in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

• M/I Homes is expanding their Smart Series product line, which targets the first-time homebuyer segment. This strategy could increase revenue as it caters to a large market with affordability needs.
  
• The company plans to increase community count by about 5% in 2024 and beyond, suggesting a potential boost to future revenue due to a broader footprint.
  
• M/I Homes’ strategic land positioning, owning and controlling a significant number of lots in both the Northern and Southern regions, is likely to positively impact future net margins by reducing cost pressures associated with land acquisition.
  
• Their robust balance sheet and low debt levels, coupled with an ability to repurchase shares, shows potential for improved earnings per share through financial resilience and capital efficiency.
  
• The use of mortgage rate buydowns to drive traffic and sales in a high interest rate environment could support stable revenue growth despite rate volatility, while maintaining strong gross margins as evidenced by current performance.

M/I Homes Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming M/I Homes's revenue will grow by 7.1% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will shrink from 12.5% today to 12.3% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach $647.0 million (and earnings per share of $25.01) by about December 2027, up from $535.5 million today.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 9.7x on those 2027 earnings, up from 7.7x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Consumer Durables industry at 11.3x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 1.67% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.38%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

M/I Homes Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• Rising interest rates can impact affordability, which may dampen demand and slow down sales growth, affecting overall revenue.
  
• The macroeconomic environment, including potential impacts from upcoming elections, can influence consumer behavior and housing market volatility, possibly reducing net margins.
  
• Hurricane impacts in significant markets like Florida can disrupt operations, leading to delays in closings and impacting quarterly earnings.
  
• Increasing competition in key markets and the necessary use of rate buydowns may pressure gross margins, potentially affecting long-term profitability.
  
• While strong, the current high-margin levels may not be sustainable, and any future decreases could lead to reduced earnings and return on equity.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of $197.5 for M/I Homes based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2027, revenues will be $5.2 billion, earnings will come to $647.0 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 9.7x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.4%.
• Given the current share price of $150.73, the analyst's price target of $197.5 is 23.7% higher.
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.