Is There An Opportunity With JD.com, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:JD) 41% Undervaluation?

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

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 JD.com

What's The Estimated Valuation?

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

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032
Levered FCF (CN¥, Millions)	CN¥38.2b	CN¥42.5b	CN¥49.3b	CN¥59.4b	CN¥71.6b	CN¥80.7b	CN¥88.3b	CN¥94.7b	CN¥100.0b	CN¥104.5b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x12	Analyst x11	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Est @ 12.64%	Est @ 9.45%	Est @ 7.21%	Est @ 5.64%	Est @ 4.54%
Present Value (CN¥, Millions) Discounted @ 8.8%	CN¥35.1k	CN¥36.0k	CN¥38.3k	CN¥42.4k	CN¥47.1k	CN¥48.7k	CN¥49.0k	CN¥48.3k	CN¥46.9k	CN¥45.1k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CN¥437b

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. 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 (2.0%) 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 8.8%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₂ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = CN¥105b× (1 + 2.0%) ÷ (8.8%– 2.0%) = CN¥1.6t

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= CN¥1.6t÷ ( 1 + 8.8%)¹⁰= CN¥678b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CN¥1.1t. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$61.6, the company appears quite good value 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.

dcf

Important 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. 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 JD.com 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 8.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.969. 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 JD.com

Strength

• Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

• Earnings declined over the past year.

• Shareholders have been diluted in the past year.

Opportunity

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

• Good value based on P/S ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

• Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

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. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For JD.com, we've compiled three fundamental aspects you should look at:

1. Risks: We feel that you should assess the 3 warning signs for JD.com we've flagged before making an investment in the company.

2. Future Earnings: How does JD'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 American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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

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.

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