Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) Shares Could Be 34% Below Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

Key Insights

• Builders FirstSource's estimated fair value is US$290 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• Builders FirstSource's US$192 share price signals that it might be 34% undervalued
• The US$199 analyst price target for BLDR is 32% less than our estimate of fair value

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

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. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Builders FirstSource

The Method

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. 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) estimate

	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$1.33b	US$1.71b	US$1.76b	US$1.82b	US$1.87b	US$1.92b	US$1.97b	US$2.02b	US$2.08b	US$2.13b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x6	Analyst x2	Est @ 3.24%	Est @ 3.02%	Est @ 2.86%	Est @ 2.75%	Est @ 2.68%	Est @ 2.62%	Est @ 2.59%	Est @ 2.56%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5%	US$1.2k	US$1.5k	US$1.4k	US$1.4k	US$1.3k	US$1.2k	US$1.2k	US$1.1k	US$1.1k	US$1.0k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$12b

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. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.5%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₄ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$2.1b× (1 + 2.5%) ÷ (7.5%– 2.5%) = US$44b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$44b÷ ( 1 + 7.5%)¹⁰= US$21b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$34b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$192, the company appears quite good value at a 34% 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.

Important 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 Builders FirstSource 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 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.208. 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 Builders FirstSource

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or 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 Builders FirstSource, there are three additional aspects you should explore:

1. Risks: As an example, we've found 2 warning signs for Builders FirstSource that you need to consider before investing here.
2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for BLDR's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.
3. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE 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.