Why SPH REIT’s (SGX:SK6U) Cash Is A Factor You Need To Consider

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SPH REIT (SGX:SK6U) shareholders, and potential investors, need to understand how much cash the business makes from its core operational activities, as well as how much is invested back into the business. This difference directly flows down to how much the stock is worth. Operating in the industry, SPH REIT is currently valued at S$2.6b. Today we will examine SPH REIT’s ability to generate cash flows, as well as the level of capital expenditure it is expected to incur over the next couple of years, which will result in how much money goes to you.

View our latest analysis for SPH REIT

What is free cash flow?

SPH REIT generates cash through its day-to-day business, which needs to be reinvested into the company in order for it to continue operating. What remains after this expenditure, is known as its free cash flow, or FCF, for short.

The two ways to assess whether SPH REIT’s FCF is sufficient, is to compare the FCF yield to the market index yield, as well as determine whether the top-line operating cash flows will continue to grow.

Along with a positive operating cash flow, SPH REIT also generates a positive free cash flow. However, the yield of 2.85% is not sufficient to compensate for the level of risk investors are taking on. This is because SPH REIT’s yield is well-below the market yield, in addition to serving higher risk compared to the well-diversified market index.

Is SPH REIT's yield sustainable?

Another important consideration is whether this return is likely to be maintained over the next couple of years. We can gauge this by looking at SPH REIT’s expected operating cash flows. In the next couple of years, a growth of low single-digit 1.7% isn’t exciting, but it may be adequate, so long as capital expenditure doesn’t ramp up by even more. Below is a table of SPH REIT’s operating cash flow in the past year, as well as the anticipated level going forward.

	Current	+1 year	+2 year
Operating Cash Flow (OCF)	S$170m	S$164m	S$173m
OCF Growth Year-On-Year		-3.8%	5.8%
OCF Growth From Current Year			1.7%

Next Steps:

Four words – low yield, low growth. SPH REIT doesn’t jump out to me as an exciting new investment for you. If you buy the stock, you’re taking on higher risk relative to holding the market index, and further, you are being compensated for less. Keep in mind that cash is only one aspect of investment analysis and there are other important fundamentals to assess. I suggest you continue to research SPH REIT to get a better picture of the company by looking at:

1. Valuation: What is SK6U worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether SK6U is currently mispriced by the market.
2. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business – take a look at who sits on SPH REIT’s board and the CEO’s back ground.
3. Other High-Performing Stocks: If you believe you should cushion your portfolio with something less risky, scroll through our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. On rare occasion, data errors may occur. Thank you for reading.