myerslarryjohn: TRW Automotive Remains Significantly Undervalued

As part of our process, we perform a rigorous discounted cash-flow methodology that dives into the true intrinsic worth of companies. In TRW Automotive's (TRW) case, we think the firm is undervalued. Our fair value estimate is $55 per share, and our report on TRW Automotive and other companies can be found here).

For some background, we think a comprehensive analysis of a firm's discounted cash-flow valuation, relative valuation versus industry peers, as well as an assessment of technical and momentum indicators is the best way to identify the most attractive stocks at the best time to buy. This process culminates in what we call our Valuentum Buying Index (click here for more information on our methodology), which ranks stocks on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.

If a company is undervalued both on a DCF and on a relative valuation basis and is showing improvement in technical and momentum indicators, it scores high on our scale. TRW Automotive scores a respectable 7 on our scale (reflecting its undervaluation and very bullish technicals).

Our Report on TRW Automotive

click to enlarge images:

Investment Considerations

Investment Highlights

TRW Automotive earns a ValueCreation rating of excellent, the highest possible mark on our scale. The firm has been generating economic value for shareholders for the past few years, a track record we view very positively. Return on invested capital (excluding goodwill) has averaged 16.8% during the past three years.

Although we think the firm's DCF valuation indicates a potential attractive investment opportunity, we'd be more comfortable investing in the firm if it was more attractively priced on a relative basis versus
peers as well.

TRW Automotive's cash flow generation and financial leverage are at decent levels, in our opinion. The firm's free cash flow margin and debt-to-EBITDA metrics are about what we'd expect from an average firm in our coverage universe.

The firm posts a VBI score of 7. We don't find the firm that attractive based on this measure, and we'd grow more constructive if it registered an 8 or higher on our scale.

The firm's technicals look very attractive. If current prices hold, the firm's moving averages could create a golden cross, a very bullish technical pattern.

Click to enlarge:

Economic Profit Analysis

The best measure of a firm's ability to create value for shareholders is expressed by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) with its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The gap or difference between ROIC and WACC is called the firm's economic profit spread. TRW Automotive's 3-year historical return on invested capital (without goodwill) is 16.8%, which is above the estimate of its cost of capital of 10.4%. As such, we assign the firm a ValueCreation rating of excellent. In the chart below, we show the probable path of ROIC in the years ahead based on the estimated volatility of key drivers behind the measure. The solid grey line reflects the most likely outcome, in our opinion, and represents the scenario that results in our fair value estimate.

Click to enlarge:

Cash Flow Analysis

Firms that generate a free cash flow margin (free cash flow divided by total revenue) above 5% are usually considered cash cows. TRW Automotive's free cash flow margin has averaged about 3.2% during the past 3 years. As such, we think the firm's cash flow generation is relatively medium. The free cash flow measure shown above is derived by taking cash flow from operations less capital expenditures and differs from enterprise free cash flow (FCFF), which we use in deriving our fair value estimate for the company. At TRW Automotive, cash flow from operations increased about 34% from levels registered two years ago, while capital expenditures fell about 39% over the same time period.

Valuation Analysis

Our discounted cash flow model indicates that TRW Automotive's shares are worth between $37.00 - $73.00 each. The margin of safety around our fair value estimate is driven by the firm's high ValueRisk rating, which is derived from the historical volatility of key valuation drivers. The estimated fair value of $55 per share represents a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of about 8.7 times last year's earnings and an implied EV/EBITDA multiple of about 4.7 times last year's EBITDA. Our model reflects a compound annual revenue growth rate of 3.7% during the next five years, a pace that is higher than the firm's 3-year historical compound annual growth rate of -0.7%. Our model reflects a 5-year projected average operating margin of 9.2%, which is above TRW Automotive's trailing 3-year average. Beyond year five, we assume free cash flow will grow at an annual rate of 3.4% for the next 15 years and 3% in perpetuity. For TRW Automotive, we use a 10.4% weighted average cost of capital to discount future free cash flows.

Click to enlarge:

Margin of Safety Analysis

Our discounted cash flow process values each firm on the basis of the present value of all future free cash flows. Although we estimate the firm's fair value at about $55 per share, every company has a range of probable fair values that's created by the uncertainty of key valuation drivers (like future revenue or earnings, for example). After all, if the future was known with certainty, we wouldn't see much volatility in the markets as stocks would trade precisely at their known fair values. Our ValueRisk rating sets the margin of safety or the fair value range we assign to each stock. In the graph below, we show this probable range of fair values for TRW Automotive. We think the firm is attractive below $37 per share (the green line), but quite expensive above $73 per share (the red line). The prices that fall along the yellow line, which includes our fair value estimate, represent a reasonable valuation for the firm.

Click to enlarge:

Future Path of Fair Value

We estimate TRW Automotive's fair value at this point in time to be about $55 per share. As time passes, however, companies generate cash flow and pay out cash to shareholders in the form of dividends. The chart below compares the firm's current share price with the path of TRW Automotive's expected equity value per share over the next three years, assuming our long-term projections prove accurate. The range between the resulting downside fair value and upside fair value in Year three represents our best estimate of the value of the firm's shares three years hence. This range of potential outcomes is also subject to change over time, should our views on the firm's future cash flow potential change. The expected fair value of $79 per share in Year three represents our existing fair value per share of $55 increased at an annual rate of the firm's cost of equity less its dividend yield. The upside and downside ranges are derived in the same way, but from the upper and lower bounds of our fair value estimate range.

Click to enlarge: