Stock Analysis
- United Kingdom
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- Commercial Services
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- AIM:EAAS
eEnergy Group Plc (LON:EAAS) Shares Could Be 46% Below Their Intrinsic Value Estimate
Key Insights
- The projected fair value for eEnergy Group is UK£0.14 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
- Current share price of UK£0.076 suggests eEnergy Group is potentially 46% undervalued
How far off is eEnergy Group Plc (LON:EAAS) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.
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.
View our latest analysis for eEnergy Group
Step By Step Through 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 discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:
10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | |
Levered FCF (£, Millions) | UK£1.50m | UK£2.00m | UK£2.38m | UK£2.70m | UK£2.97m | UK£3.19m | UK£3.38m | UK£3.52m | UK£3.65m | UK£3.76m |
Growth Rate Estimate Source | Analyst x1 | Analyst x1 | Est @ 18.85% | Est @ 13.65% | Est @ 10.01% | Est @ 7.46% | Est @ 5.68% | Est @ 4.43% | Est @ 3.56% | Est @ 2.95% |
Present Value (£, Millions) Discounted @ 7.6% | UK£1.4 | UK£1.7 | UK£1.9 | UK£2.0 | UK£2.1 | UK£2.1 | UK£2.0 | UK£2.0 | UK£1.9 | UK£1.8 |
("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK£19m
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 1.5%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.6%.
Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2033 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = UK£3.8m× (1 + 1.5%) ÷ (7.6%– 1.5%) = UK£63m
Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK£63m÷ ( 1 + 7.6%)10= UK£30m
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 UK£49m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK£0.08, the company appears quite undervalued at a 46% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.
The Assumptions
The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the 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 eEnergy 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 7.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.022. 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 eEnergy Group
- Debt is well covered by earnings.
- No major weaknesses identified for EAAS.
- Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the British market.
- Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.
- Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.
Next Steps:
Whilst important, the DCF calculation 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. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For eEnergy Group, there are three further factors you should further examine:
- Risks: For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for eEnergy Group (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.
- Future Earnings: How does EAAS'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.
- 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 British 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.
About AIM:EAAS
eEnergy Group
Operates as an integrated energy services company in the United Kingdom and Ireland.