Does ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited (SGX:C52) Generate Enough Cash?

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If you are currently a shareholder in ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited (SGX:C52), or considering investing in the stock, you need to examine how the business generates cash, and how it is reinvested. This difference directly flows down to how much the stock is worth. Operating in the industry, C52 is currently valued at S$5.0b. I’ve analysed below, the health and outlook of C52’s cash flow, which will help you understand the stock from a cash standpoint. Cash is an important concept to grasp as an investor, as it directly impacts the value of your shares and the future growth potential of your portfolio.

Check out our latest analysis for ComfortDelGro

What is ComfortDelGro’s cash yield?

Free cash flow (FCF) is the amount of cash ComfortDelGro has left after it pays off its expenses, including its net capital expenditures, which is what the company needs to spend each year to maintain or grow its business operations.

The two ways to assess whether ComfortDelGro’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.

Free Cash Flow = Operating Cash Flows – Net Capital Expenditure

Free Cash Flow Yield = Free Cash Flow / Enterprise Value

where Enterprise Value = Market Capitalisation + Net Debt

ComfortDelGro’s yield of 3.95% indicates its sub-standard capacity to generate cash, compared to the stock market index as a whole, accounting for the size differential. This means investors are taking on more concentrated risk on ComfortDelGro but are not being adequately rewarded for doing so.

SGX:C52 Net Worth February 6th 19
SGX:C52 Net Worth February 6th 19

What’s the cash flow outlook for ComfortDelGro?

Can C52 improve its operating cash production in the future? Let’s take a quick look at the cash flow trend the company is expected to deliver over time. In the next couple of years, the company is expected to grow its cash from operations at a double-digit rate of 23%, ramping up from its current levels of S$638m to S$782m in two years’ time. Although this seems impressive, breaking down into year-on-year growth rates, C52’s operating cash flow growth is expected to decline from a rate of 17% next year, to 4.3% in the following year. However the overall picture seems encouraging, should capital expenditure levels maintain at an appropriate level.

Next Steps:

Low free cash flow yield means you are not currently well-compensated for the risk you’re taking on by holding onto ComfortDelGro relative to a well-diversified market index. However, the high growth in operating cash flow may change the tides in the future. Now you know to keep cash flows in mind, You should continue to research ComfortDelGro to get a better picture of the company by looking at:

  1. Valuation: What is C52 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 C52 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 ComfortDelGro’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.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

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