A Look At The Intrinsic Value Of Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE:BHVN)

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Biohaven is US$45.86 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• With US$49.50 share price, Biohaven appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

• Our fair value estimate is 9.6% lower than Biohaven's analyst price target of US$50.70

Does the February share price for Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE:BHVN) 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. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Biohaven

Crunching The Numbers

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 start off with, we need to estimate 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$230.5m	-US$340.0m	-US$302.0m	-US$224.5m	US$92.8m	US$130.6m	US$168.9m	US$204.7m	US$236.4m	US$263.7m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x3	Analyst x3	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Est @ 40.85%	Est @ 29.28%	Est @ 21.18%	Est @ 15.52%	Est @ 11.55%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.1%	-US$217	-US$302	-US$253	-US$177	US$69.0	US$91.7	US$112	US$128	US$139	US$146

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = -US$265m

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. 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 2.3%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$264m× (1 + 2.3%) ÷ (6.1%– 2.3%) = US$7.1b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$7.1b÷ ( 1 + 6.1%)¹⁰= US$3.9b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$3.7b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$49.5, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

The Assumptions

We would point out that 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 Biohaven 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 6.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.824. 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 Biohaven

Strength

• Currently debt free.

Weakness

• Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

• Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.

Opportunity

• Forecast to reduce losses next year.

Threat

• Has less than 3 years of cash runway based on current free cash flow.

• Not expected to become profitable over the next 3 years.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation 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 instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Biohaven, there are three further items you should further examine:

1. Risks: You should be aware of the 4 warning signs for Biohaven (1 is significant!) we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company.

2. Future Earnings: How does BHVN'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 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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock 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.