Are Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) Investors Paying Above The Intrinsic Value?

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Avient is US$32.38 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Current share price of US$42.87 suggests Avient is potentially 32% overvalued

• Analyst price target for AVNT is US$52.00, which is 61% above our fair value estimate

Does the June share price for Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) 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. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Avient

The Calculation

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. 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 discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$121.5m	US$198.6m	US$191.8m	US$188.5m	US$187.6m	US$188.3m	US$190.2m	US$192.8m	US$196.1m	US$199.8m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x3	Analyst x3	Est @ -3.45%	Est @ -1.70%	Est @ -0.48%	Est @ 0.38%	Est @ 0.98%	Est @ 1.40%	Est @ 1.69%	Est @ 1.90%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.9%	US$113	US$171	US$153	US$139	US$128	US$119	US$112	US$105	US$98.8	US$93.3

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$1.2b

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 2.4%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$200m× (1 + 2.4%) ÷ (7.9%– 2.4%) = US$3.7b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$3.7b÷ ( 1 + 7.9%)¹⁰= US$1.7b

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$3.0b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$42.9, the company appears potentially overvalued 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

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 Avient 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 7.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.204. 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 Avient

Strength

• Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

• Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

• Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Chemicals market.

• Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

• Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market.

Threat

• Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

• Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

• Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the American market.

Moving On:

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. 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 instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Avient, we've compiled three additional items you should consider:

1. Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Avient (at least 1 which is concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

2. Future Earnings: How does AVNT'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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com