Zebra Technologies Stock Appears To Be Significantly Overvalued
- By GF Value
The stock of Zebra Technologies (NAS:ZBRA, 30-year Financials) is believed to be significantly overvalued, 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 $476.96 per share and the market cap of $25.5 billion, Zebra Technologies stock gives every indication of being significantly overvalued. GF Value for Zebra Technologies is shown in the chart below.
Because Zebra Technologies is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 6% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 5.90% annually over the next three to five years.
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It is always important to check the financial strength of a company before buying its stock. Investing in companies with poor financial strength have a higher risk of permanent loss. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great way to understand the financial strength of a company. Zebra Technologies has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.12, which is in the bottom 10% of the companies in Hardware industry. The overall financial strength of Zebra Technologies is 6 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Zebra Technologies is fair. This is the debt and cash of Zebra Technologies 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. Zebra Technologies has been profitable 8 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $4.4 billion and earnings of $9.36 a share. Its operating margin is 15.40%, which ranks better than 87% of the companies in Hardware industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Zebra Technologies at 7 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Zebra Technologies over the past years:
Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term stock performance of a company. A faster growing company creates more value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth of Zebra Technologies is 6%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 10.4%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware industry.
Another way to evaluate a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted cost of capital (WACC). 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. If the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it indicates that the company is creating value for shareholders. Over the past 12 months, Zebra Technologies's ROIC was 14.04, while its WACC came in at 11.68. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Zebra Technologies is shown below:
Overall, Zebra Technologies (NAS:ZBRA, 30-year Financials) stock is believed to be significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Hardware industry. To learn more about Zebra Technologies stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
