Is Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603997) Trading At A 31% Discount?

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts is CN¥18.72 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts is estimated to be 31% undervalued based on current share price of CN¥12.87
• Our fair value estimate is 30% higher than Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts' analyst price target of CN¥14.46

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603997) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts

Is Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Fairly Valued?

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, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF (CN¥, Millions)	CN¥221.0m	CN¥551.0m	CN¥1.00b	CN¥1.38b	CN¥1.76b	CN¥2.12b	CN¥2.44b	CN¥2.71b	CN¥2.95b	CN¥3.16b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x1	Analyst x1	Analyst x1	Est @ 38.18%	Est @ 27.59%	Est @ 20.19%	Est @ 15.00%	Est @ 11.37%	Est @ 8.83%	Est @ 7.05%
Present Value (CN¥, Millions) Discounted @ 11%	CN¥199	CN¥448	CN¥733	CN¥914	CN¥1.1k	CN¥1.1k	CN¥1.2k	CN¥1.2k	CN¥1.2k	CN¥1.1k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CN¥9.1b

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 2.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CN¥3.2b× (1 + 2.9%) ÷ (11%– 2.9%) = CN¥41b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= CN¥41b÷ ( 1 + 11%)¹⁰= CN¥14b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CN¥24b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CN¥12.9, the company appears quite undervalued at a 31% 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.

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. 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 Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts 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 11%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.419. 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 Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts

Looking Ahead:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and 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?" 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 Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts, we've put together three important factors you should consider:

1. Risks: Be aware that Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...
2. Future Earnings: How does 603997'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. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the SHSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

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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.