Calculating The Fair Value Of Enel Generación Chile S.A. (SNSE:ENELGXCH)

Does the February share price for Enel Generación Chile S.A. (SNSE:ENELGXCH) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

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.

See our latest analysis for Enel Generación Chile

The model

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. 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, 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

	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030
Levered FCF (CLP, Millions)	CL$396.0b	CL$265.0b	CL$203.6b	CL$175.3b	CL$162.4b	CL$157.9b	CL$158.6b	CL$162.7b	CL$169.6b	CL$178.6b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x1	Analyst x1	Est @ -23.18%	Est @ -13.87%	Est @ -7.35%	Est @ -2.79%	Est @ 0.41%	Est @ 2.64%	Est @ 4.21%	Est @ 5.3%
Present Value (CLP, Millions) Discounted @ 13%	CL$350.9k	CL$208.0k	CL$141.6k	CL$108.0k	CL$88.7k	CL$76.4k	CL$67.9k	CL$61.8k	CL$57.1k	CL$53.2k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CL$1.2t

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 7.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 13%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₀ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CL$179b× (1 + 7.9%) ÷ (13%– 7.9%) = CL$3.8t

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= CL$3.8t÷ ( 1 + 13%)¹⁰= CL$1.1t

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CL$2.4t. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CL$260, the company appears about fair value at a 9.6% 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.

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 Enel Generación Chile 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 13%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. 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.

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. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Enel Generación Chile, we've compiled three fundamental aspects you should assess:

1. Risks: You should be aware of the 2 warning signs for Enel Generación Chile (1 can't be ignored!) we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company.
2. Future Earnings: How does ENELGXCH'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 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 Chilean stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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