Is There An Opportunity With IQVIA Holdings Inc.'s (NYSE:IQV) 32% Undervaluation?

Key Insights

• IQVIA Holdings' estimated fair value is US$291 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• Current share price of US$199 suggests IQVIA Holdings is potentially 32% undervalued
• Our fair value estimate is 15% higher than IQVIA Holdings' analyst price target of US$252

Does the October share price for IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Check out our latest analysis for IQVIA Holdings

Step By Step Through The Calculation

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. 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 discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$1.88b	US$2.24b	US$2.34b	US$2.68b	US$2.91b	US$3.10b	US$3.26b	US$3.39b	US$3.52b	US$3.63b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x7	Analyst x6	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Est @ 8.32%	Est @ 6.47%	Est @ 5.18%	Est @ 4.27%	Est @ 3.63%	Est @ 3.19%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.4%	US$1.8k	US$1.9k	US$1.9k	US$2.0k	US$2.0k	US$2.0k	US$2.0k	US$1.9k	US$1.8k	US$1.8k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$19b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 (2.2%) 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 7.4%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$3.6b× (1 + 2.2%) ÷ (7.4%– 2.2%) = US$70b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$70b÷ ( 1 + 7.4%)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$53b. 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$199, the company appears quite undervalued 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.

The 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 IQVIA Holdings 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 7.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.058. 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 IQVIA Holdings

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For IQVIA Holdings, we've compiled three important elements you should consider:

1. Risks: Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for IQVIA Holdings you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored.
2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for IQV's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.
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. 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.