An Intrinsic Calculation For Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Suggests It's 46% Undervalued

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Moderna is US$241 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Moderna is estimated to be 46% undervalued based on current share price of US$129

• Analyst price target for MRNA is US$211 which is 12% below our fair value estimate

How far off is Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ 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.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Moderna

What's The Estimated Valuation?

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. 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) estimate

	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	-US$218.0m	-US$1.29b	-US$1.09b	-US$208.2m	US$1.56b	US$2.56b	US$3.73b	US$4.95b	US$6.11b	US$7.15b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x1	Analyst x6	Analyst x5	Analyst x4	Analyst x4	Est @ 64.33%	Est @ 45.66%	Est @ 32.60%	Est @ 23.45%	Est @ 17.05%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.9%	-US$204	-US$1.1k	-US$895	-US$160	US$1.1k	US$1.7k	US$2.3k	US$2.9k	US$3.4k	US$3.7k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$13b

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)= FCF₂₀₃₂ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$7.2b× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (6.9%– 2.1%) = US$154b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$154b÷ ( 1 + 6.9%)¹⁰= US$79b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$92b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$129, the company appears quite good value at a 46% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 Moderna 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 Moderna

Strength

• Currently debt free.

Weakness

• Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

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

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

Threat

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

Looking Ahead:

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 Moderna, we've put together three essential aspects you should assess:

1. Risks: You should be aware of the 2 warning signs for Moderna (1 is a bit concerning!) we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company.

2. Future Earnings: How does MRNA'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 Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NASDAQGS every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks 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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