Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ:RARE) Shares Could Be 41% Below Their Intrinsic Value Estimate
Key Insights
Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical fair value estimate is US$60.90
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical's US$36.14 share price signals that it might be 41% undervalued
Our fair value estimate is 33% lower than Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical's analyst price target of US$91.45
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ:RARE) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!
We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.
See our latest analysis for Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical
The Method
We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.
Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:
10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | |
Levered FCF ($, Millions) | -US$376.9m | -US$400.0m | -US$219.2m | US$117.3m | US$167.1m | US$217.9m | US$265.6m | US$308.0m | US$344.3m | US$374.9m |
Growth Rate Estimate Source | Analyst x4 | Analyst x3 | Analyst x3 | Analyst x3 | Est @ 42.49% | Est @ 30.38% | Est @ 21.90% | Est @ 15.96% | Est @ 11.81% | Est @ 8.90% |
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.9% | -US$353 | -US$350 | -US$180 | US$89.9 | US$120 | US$146 | US$167 | US$181 | US$189 | US$193 |
("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$204m
We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.9%.
Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2033 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$375m× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (6.9%– 2.1%) = US$8.1b
Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$8.1b÷ ( 1 + 6.9%)10= US$4.1b
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$4.4b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$36.1, the company appears quite undervalued at a 41% 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
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. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. 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 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical 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 6.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. 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 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical
Strength
Currently debt free.
Weakness
Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.
Opportunity
Forecast to reduce losses next year.
Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.
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:
Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, there are three important elements you should explore:
Risks: For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical that you should be aware of.
Future Earnings: How does RARE'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.
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. 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.
