Are Investors Undervaluing Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) By 48%?

Key Insights

• Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Match Group fair value estimate is US$73.48

• Match Group is estimated to be 48% undervalued based on current share price of US$38.02

• The US$52.96 analyst price target for MTCH is 28% less than our estimate of fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. 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. 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 Match Group

The Model

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 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) estimate

	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$825.6m	US$1.03b	US$1.20b	US$1.40b	US$1.59b	US$1.74b	US$1.86b	US$1.96b	US$2.05b	US$2.13b
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x5	Analyst x5	Analyst x4	Analyst x3	Analyst x3	Est @ 9.08%	Est @ 6.99%	Est @ 5.53%	Est @ 4.50%	Est @ 3.78%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.7%	US$753	US$858	US$910	US$964	US$1.0k	US$996	US$972	US$935	US$890	US$842

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$9.1b

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₂ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$2.1b× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (9.7%– 2.1%) = US$29b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$29b÷ ( 1 + 9.7%)¹⁰= US$11b

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$20b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$38.0, the company appears quite undervalued at a 48% 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.

dcf

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. 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 Match Group 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 9.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.277. 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 Match Group

Strength

• Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

• Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

• No major weaknesses identified for MTCH.

Opportunity

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

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

Threat

• Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

• Total liabilities exceed total assets, which raises the risk of financial distress.

• Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. 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 sitting below the intrinsic value? For Match Group, we've compiled three relevant aspects you should explore:

1. Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Match Group (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) .

2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for MTCH's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.

3. 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. 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.

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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