AT&T Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued
- By GF Value
The stock of AT&T (NYSE:T, 30-year Financials) shows every sign of being fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $30.31 per share and the market cap of $216.4 billion, AT&T stock gives every indication of being fairly valued. GF Value for AT&T is shown in the chart below.
Because AT&T is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth.
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Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Thus, it is important to carefully review the financial strength of a company before deciding whether to buy its stock. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great starting point for understanding the financial strength of a company. AT&T has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.05, which is worse than 89% of the companies in Telecommunication Services industry. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of AT&T at 3 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of AT&T is poor. This is the debt and cash of AT&T over the past years:
It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. AT&T has been profitable 9 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $171.8 billion and loss of $0.76 a share. Its operating margin is 14.65%, which ranks better than 66% of the companies in Telecommunication Services industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of AT&T at 6 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of AT&T over the past years:
One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Long-term stock performance is closely correlated with growth according to GuruFocus research. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of AT&T is -2.7%, which ranks worse than 68% of the companies in Telecommunication Services industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is -14.2%, which ranks worse than 86% of the companies in Telecommunication Services industry.
Another method of determining the profitability of a company is to compare its return on invested capital to the weighted average cost of capital. Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. When the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it implies the company is creating value for shareholders. For the past 12 months, AT&T's return on invested capital is 6.65, and its cost of capital is 5.49. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of AT&T is shown below:
To conclude, the stock of AT&T (NYSE:T, 30-year Financials) gives every indication of being fairly valued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks worse than 86% of the companies in Telecommunication Services industry. To learn more about AT&T stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
