Is Marshalls plc (LON:MSLH) Worth UK£2.9 Based On Its Intrinsic Value?

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Marshalls is UK£2.17 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Marshalls' UK£2.91 share price signals that it might be 34% overvalued

• Our fair value estimate is 46% lower than Marshalls' analyst price target of UK£4.04

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Marshalls plc (LON:MSLH) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. 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 Marshalls

What's The Estimated Valuation?

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. 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, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF (£, Millions)	UK£42.9m	UK£49.1m	UK£43.9m	UK£40.9m	UK£39.2m	UK£38.2m	UK£37.8m	UK£37.6m	UK£37.7m	UK£38.0m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x6	Analyst x5	Analyst x1	Est @ -6.74%	Est @ -4.23%	Est @ -2.47%	Est @ -1.23%	Est @ -0.37%	Est @ 0.23%	Est @ 0.65%
Present Value (£, Millions) Discounted @ 8.1%	UK£39.7	UK£42.0	UK£34.7	UK£29.9	UK£26.5	UK£23.9	UK£21.8	UK£20.1	UK£18.7	UK£17.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK£275m

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 1.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = UK£38m× (1 + 1.6%) ÷ (8.1%– 1.6%) = UK£594m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= UK£594m÷ ( 1 + 8.1%)¹⁰= UK£272m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK£547m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK£2.9, the company appears potentially overvalued at the time of writing. 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.

LSE:MSLH Discounted Cash Flow March 16th 2024

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 Marshalls 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 8.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.185. 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 Marshalls

Strength

• Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

• Earnings declined over the past year.

• Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Basic Materials market.

• Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

• Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the British market.

Threat

• Dividends are not covered by earnings.

• Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the British market.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. 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. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Marshalls, we've put together three fundamental aspects you should look at:

1. Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Marshalls that you should be aware of before investing here.

2. Future Earnings: How does MSLH'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 LSE 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.