Yahoo Finance Alexion Pharmaceuticals Stock Gives Every Indication Of Being Fairly Valued
- By GF Value
The stock of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NAS:ALXN, 30-year Financials) appears to be fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $173.74 per share and the market cap of $38.4 billion, Alexion Pharmaceuticals stock is estimated to be fairly valued. GF Value for Alexion Pharmaceuticals is shown in the chart below.
Because Alexion Pharmaceuticals is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth, which averaged 20.2% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 8.33% annually over the next three to five years.
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Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Thus, it is important to carefully review the financial strength of a company before deciding whether to buy its stock. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great starting point for understanding the financial strength of a company. Alexion Pharmaceuticals has a cash-to-debt ratio of 1.28, which is worse than 80% of the companies in Biotechnology industry. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of Alexion Pharmaceuticals at 7 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is fair. This is the debt and cash of Alexion Pharmaceuticals over the past years:
Investing in profitable companies carries less risk, especially in companies that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. Typically, a company with high profit margins offers better performance potential than a company with low profit margins. Alexion Pharmaceuticals has been profitable 10 years over the past 10 years. During the past 12 months, the company had revenues of $6.3 billion and earnings of $3.06 a share. Its operating margin of 47.07% better than 97% of the companies in Biotechnology industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks Alexion Pharmaceuticals's profitability as strong. This is the revenue and net income of Alexion Pharmaceuticals over the past years:
Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Alexion Pharmaceuticals's 3-year average revenue growth rate is better than 73% of the companies in Biotechnology industry. Alexion Pharmaceuticals's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is -3.8%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Biotechnology industry.
Another way to evaluate a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it indicates that the company is creating value for shareholders. Over the past 12 months, Alexion Pharmaceuticals's ROIC was 22.11, while its WACC came in at 9.64. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is shown below:
In summary, Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NAS:ALXN, 30-year Financials) stock is believed to be fairly valued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Biotechnology industry. To learn more about Alexion Pharmaceuticals stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.