Stock Analysis

Netcompany Group A/S' (CPH:NETC) Intrinsic Value Is Potentially 46% Above Its Share Price

Published
CPSE:NETC

Key Insights

  • Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Netcompany Group fair value estimate is kr.507
  • Netcompany Group's kr.346 share price signals that it might be 32% undervalued
  • Analyst price target for NETC is kr.340 which is 33% below our fair value estimate

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Netcompany Group A/S (CPH:NETC) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Netcompany Group

The Calculation

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, 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) forecast

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034
Levered FCF (DKK, Millions) kr.791.0m kr.945.5m kr.1.06b kr.1.15b kr.1.22b kr.1.28b kr.1.33b kr.1.37b kr.1.40b kr.1.43b
Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ 11.81% Est @ 8.62% Est @ 6.38% Est @ 4.81% Est @ 3.72% Est @ 2.95% Est @ 2.41% Est @ 2.04%
Present Value (DKK, Millions) Discounted @ 6.2% kr.745 kr.838 kr.883 kr.903 kr.905 kr.893 kr.872 kr.846 kr.815 kr.784

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = kr.8.5b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2034 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = kr.1.4b× (1 + 1.2%) ÷ (6.2%– 1.2%) = kr.29b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= kr.29b÷ ( 1 + 6.2%)10= kr.16b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is kr.24b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of kr.346, the company appears quite good value at a 32% 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.

CPSE:NETC Discounted Cash Flow November 20th 2024

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 Netcompany Group 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 6.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.221. 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 Netcompany Group

Strength
  • Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.
Weakness
  • Earnings declined over the past year.
Opportunity
  • Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Danish market.
  • Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.
Threat
  • Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for 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?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Netcompany Group, there are three further items you should look at:

  1. Risks: Take risks, for example - Netcompany Group has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
  2. Future Earnings: How does NETC'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 Danish stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.

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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.