A Look At The Intrinsic Value Of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Key Insights

• Agilent Technologies' estimated fair value is US$166 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• With US$137 share price, Agilent Technologies appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value
• Analyst price target for A is US$141 which is 15% below our fair value estimate

Does the August share price for Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Agilent Technologies

The Model

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. 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, 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$1.52b	US$1.70b	US$1.83b	US$1.93b	US$2.02b	US$2.10b	US$2.17b	US$2.24b	US$2.31b	US$2.38b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x3	Analyst x3	Analyst x1	Est @ 5.43%	Est @ 4.55%	Est @ 3.93%	Est @ 3.50%	Est @ 3.20%	Est @ 2.99%	Est @ 2.84%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.4%	US$1.4k	US$1.5k	US$1.5k	US$1.5k	US$1.5k	US$1.5k	US$1.4k	US$1.4k	US$1.3k	US$1.3k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$14b

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 2.5%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.4%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₄ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$2.4b× (1 + 2.5%) ÷ (6.4%– 2.5%) = US$63b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$63b÷ ( 1 + 6.4%)¹⁰= US$34b

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$48b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$137, the company appears about fair value at a 17% 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

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. 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 Agilent Technologies 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 6.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.937. 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 Agilent Technologies

Looking Ahead:

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. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Agilent Technologies, we've put together three pertinent factors you should look at:

1. Risks: Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Agilent Technologies you should be aware of.
2. Future Earnings: How does A'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 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.