Stock Analysis

Is Dye & Durham Limited (TSE:DND) Trading At A 28% Discount?

Published
TSX:DND

Key Insights

  • Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Dye & Durham fair value estimate is CA$23.29
  • Dye & Durham's CA$16.87 share price signals that it might be 28% undervalued
  • The CA$21.17 analyst price target for DND is 9.1% less than our estimate of fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Dye & Durham Limited (TSE:DND) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Dye & Durham

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. 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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034
Levered FCF (CA$, Millions) CA$88.3m CA$122.9m CA$122.0m CA$122.3m CA$123.2m CA$124.7m CA$126.5m CA$128.7m CA$131.1m CA$133.6m
Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ -0.69% Est @ 0.17% Est @ 0.77% Est @ 1.20% Est @ 1.49% Est @ 1.70% Est @ 1.84% Est @ 1.94%
Present Value (CA$, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3% CA$80.8 CA$103 CA$93.6 CA$85.8 CA$79.2 CA$73.3 CA$68.1 CA$63.4 CA$59.1 CA$55.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CA$761m

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond 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 2.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2034 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CA$134m× (1 + 2.2%) ÷ (9.3%– 2.2%) = CA$1.9b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CA$1.9b÷ ( 1 + 9.3%)10= CA$797m

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 CA$1.6b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CA$16.9, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 28% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

TSX:DND Discounted Cash Flow October 18th 2024

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 Dye & Durham 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 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.716. 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 Dye & Durham

Strength
  • No major strengths identified for DND.
Weakness
  • Interest payments on debt are not well covered.
  • Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Software market.
  • Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.
Opportunity
  • Forecast to reduce losses 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.
Threat
  • Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.
  • Not expected to become profitable over the next 3 years.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Dye & Durham, we've compiled three pertinent items you should further examine:

  1. Risks: You should be aware of the 2 warning signs for Dye & Durham we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company.
  2. Future Earnings: How does DND's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart.
  3. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

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

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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.