Estimating The Fair Value Of Electric Connector Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300679)

Key Insights

• Electric Connector Technology's estimated fair value is CN¥36.95 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• Electric Connector Technology's CN¥36.65 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate
• Our fair value estimate is 14% lower than Electric Connector Technology's analyst price target of CN¥43.00

Does the February share price for Electric Connector Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300679) 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. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

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.

See our latest analysis for Electric Connector Technology

What's The Estimated Valuation?

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of 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¥402.0m	CN¥590.0m	CN¥739.3m	CN¥876.8m	CN¥998.7m	CN¥1.10b	CN¥1.20b	CN¥1.28b	CN¥1.35b	CN¥1.41b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x1	Analyst x1	Est @ 25.31%	Est @ 18.60%	Est @ 13.90%	Est @ 10.61%	Est @ 8.31%	Est @ 6.70%	Est @ 5.57%	Est @ 4.78%
Present Value (CN¥, Millions) Discounted @ 9.2%	CN¥368	CN¥495	CN¥568	CN¥617	CN¥644	CN¥653	CN¥647	CN¥633	CN¥612	CN¥587

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CN¥5.8b

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 2.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CN¥1.4b× (1 + 2.9%) ÷ (9.2%– 2.9%) = CN¥23b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= CN¥23b÷ ( 1 + 9.2%)¹⁰= CN¥9.7b

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 CN¥16b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of CN¥36.7, the company appears about fair value at a 0.8% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

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. 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 Electric Connector Technology 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 9.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.106. 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 Electric Connector Technology

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, 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?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Electric Connector Technology, we've put together three additional items you should explore:

1. Risks: We feel that you should assess the 1 warning sign for Electric Connector Technology we've flagged before making an investment in the company.
2. Future Earnings: How does 300679'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 Chinese 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. 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.