Key Insights

The projected fair value for Neuren Pharmaceuticals is AU$20.56 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Neuren Pharmaceuticals is estimated to be 37% undervalued based on current share price of AU$12.88 The AU$26.21 analyst price target for NEU is 28% more than our estimate of fair value

Does the December share price for Neuren Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:NEU) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Neuren Pharmaceuticals

Step By Step Through The Calculation

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of 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) forecast

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 Levered FCF (A$, Millions)  AU$115.0m AU$103.3m AU$100.1m AU$98.7m AU$98.5m AU$99.1m AU$100.3m AU$102.0m AU$103.9m AU$106.1m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ -3.08% Est @ -1.38% Est @ -0.19% Est @ 0.64% Est @ 1.22% Est @ 1.63% Est @ 1.91% Est @ 2.11% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 5.9%  AU$109 AU$92.1 AU$84.3 AU$78.5 AU$74.0 AU$70.4 AU$67.3 AU$64.6 AU$62.2 AU$60.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$762m

Story Continues

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 2.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 5.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2034 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = AU$106m× (1 + 2.6%) ÷ (5.9%– 2.6%) = AU$3.3b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$3.3b÷ ( 1 + 5.9%)10= AU$1.9b

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 AU$2.6b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$12.9, the company appears quite undervalued at a 37% 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.ASX:NEU Discounted Cash Flow December 5th 2024

The 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 Neuren Pharmaceuticals 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 5.9%, 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 Neuren Pharmaceuticals

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Currently debt free.

Weakness

No major weaknesses identified for NEU.

Opportunity

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

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching 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 example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Neuren Pharmaceuticals, we've put together three pertinent elements you should look at:

Risks: Take risks, for example - Neuren Pharmaceuticals has  1 warning sign  we think you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does NEU'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. 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 ASX 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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