A Look At The Intrinsic Value Of AMREP Corporation (NYSE:AXR)

Key Insights

• AMREP's estimated fair value is US$20.08 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• With US$21.75 share price, AMREP appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

• Industry average of 25% suggests AMREP's peers are currently trading at a higher premium to fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of AMREP Corporation (NYSE:AXR) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for AMREP

The Model

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last 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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$7.56m	US$6.87m	US$6.48m	US$6.27m	US$6.17m	US$6.14m	US$6.16m	US$6.21m	US$6.29m	US$6.39m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Est @ -13.88%	Est @ -9.05%	Est @ -5.67%	Est @ -3.30%	Est @ -1.64%	Est @ -0.49%	Est @ 0.33%	Est @ 0.89%	Est @ 1.29%	Est @ 1.57%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5%	US$7.0	US$6.0	US$5.2	US$4.7	US$4.3	US$4.0	US$3.7	US$3.5	US$3.3	US$3.1

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$45m

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. 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 2.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$6.4m× (1 + 2.2%) ÷ (7.5%– 2.2%) = US$124m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$124m÷ ( 1 + 7.5%)¹⁰= US$60m

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$105m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$21.8, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. 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

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. 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 AMREP 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 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.051. 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 AMREP

Strength

• Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

• Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

• Earnings growth over the past year is below its 5-year average.

• Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

• Significant insider buying over the past 3 months.

• Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine AXR's earnings prospects.

Threat

• No apparent threats visible for AXR.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. 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. For AMREP, we've compiled three fundamental elements you should assess:

1. Risks: You should be aware of the 1 warning sign for AMREP we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company.

2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for AXR's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.

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 NYSE 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.