Is Héroux-Devtek Inc. (TSE:HRX) Trading At A 44% Discount?

Key Insights

• Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Héroux-Devtek fair value estimate is CA$55.41

• Héroux-Devtek is estimated to be 44% undervalued based on current share price of CA$31.08

• Our fair value estimate is 83% higher than Héroux-Devtek's analyst price target of CA$30.25

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Héroux-Devtek Inc. (TSE:HRX) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

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 Héroux-Devtek

Crunching The Numbers

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.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034
Levered FCF (CA$, Millions)	CA$35.9m	CA$50.0m	CA$61.0m	CA$69.1m	CA$76.0m	CA$81.8m	CA$86.6m	CA$90.8m	CA$94.4m	CA$97.6m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x4	Analyst x4	Analyst x1	Est @ 13.33%	Est @ 9.96%	Est @ 7.59%	Est @ 5.94%	Est @ 4.78%	Est @ 3.97%	Est @ 3.40%
Present Value (CA$, Millions) Discounted @ 6.2%	CA$33.8	CA$44.4	CA$51.0	CA$54.4	CA$56.4	CA$57.2	CA$57.0	CA$56.3	CA$55.1	CA$53.7

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CA$519m

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 6.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₄ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CA$98m× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (6.2%– 2.1%) = CA$2.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= CA$2.4b÷ ( 1 + 6.2%)¹⁰= CA$1.3b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CA$1.9b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CA$31.1, the company appears quite good value at a 44% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

Now 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 Héroux-Devtek 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 6.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.885. 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 Héroux-Devtek

Strength

• Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

• Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

• No major weaknesses identified for HRX.

Opportunity

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

• Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

• Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

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

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Héroux-Devtek, there are three relevant elements you should further research:

1. Risks: For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Héroux-Devtek that you should be aware of.

2. Future Earnings: How does HRX'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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Canadian 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com