Is Parex Resources Inc. (TSE:PXT) Trading At A 47% Discount?

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Parex Resources is CA$42.26 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Parex Resources is estimated to be 47% undervalued based on current share price of CA$22.37

• Parex Resources' peers seem to be trading at a lower discount to fair value based onthe industry average of 30%

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Parex Resources Inc. (TSE:PXT) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

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. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Parex Resources

Is Parex Resources Fairly Valued?

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 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

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$230.5m	US$234.2m	US$208.6m	US$194.0m	US$185.7m	US$181.3m	US$179.4m	US$179.2m	US$180.2m	US$182.0m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x4	Analyst x4	Est @ -10.92%	Est @ -7.02%	Est @ -4.29%	Est @ -2.38%	Est @ -1.04%	Est @ -0.10%	Est @ 0.55%	Est @ 1.01%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.2%	US$215	US$204	US$169	US$147	US$131	US$119	US$110	US$102	US$96.0	US$90.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$1.4b

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 7.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$182m× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (7.2%– 2.1%) = US$3.6b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$3.6b÷ ( 1 + 7.2%)¹⁰= US$1.8b

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$3.2b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of CA$22.4, the company appears quite good value at a 47% 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 Parex Resources 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 7.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.123. 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 Parex Resources

Strength

• Debt is not viewed as a risk.

• Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

• Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

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

Threat

• Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation 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. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Parex Resources, we've put together three further aspects you should further research:

1. Risks: Be aware that Parex Resources is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those shouldn't be ignored...

2. Future Earnings: How does PXT'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. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the TSX 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.