Session 5 Flashcards
Stock Valuation
How do you calculate the present value (PV) of dividends?
How do you determine the price per share
What is the difference between a stock’s intrinsic value and its market price?
- Intrinsic Value: The fair value of a stock based on the present value (PV) of its expected future dividends, discounted at the investor’s required return.
- Market Price: The price at which the stock is currently trading in the market, which may differ from intrinsic value due to market inefficiencies or investor sentiment.
- If a stock’s market price is lower than its intrinsic value, investors can exploit this difference through arbitrage.
How can an investor exploit an arbitrage opportunity when a stock is undervalued?
How do you calculate the present value (PV) of arbitrage profit?
How does a one-year investor value a stock?
A one-year investor values a stock based on its expected future cash flows, which include:
- Dividends (Div₁) received during the year.
- Sale price (P₁) of the stock at the end of the year.
- These future cash flows are discounted using the equity cost of capital (rₑ) to determine their present value.
The current stock price (P₀) should reflect this discounted value.
What formula is used to determine the present value of a stock in one period?
What happens if the stock price is different from its intrinsic value?
- If P₀ is lower than the intrinsic value, investors will buy the stock, driving up its price.
- If P₀ is higher than the intrinsic value, investors will sell, causing the stock price to fall.
- Market forces push the stock price toward its fair value, based on the discounted value of future dividends and sale price.
This ensures an efficient market where stocks trade close to their true worth.
What is the formula for total return on a stock, also called the equity cost of capital?
What are the two key components of total return on a stock investment?
How does the market react if a stock’s return is too low or too high?
- If a stock’s return is too low, investors sell it, lowering its price until expected returns rise again.
- If a stock’s return is too high, more investors buy it, increasing the price until expected returns fall to equilibrium.
- Riskier stocks generally offer higher expected returns to compensate for increased uncertainty.
The total return of a stock should match the expected return of similar-risk investments.
How do you determine the price of a stock when an investor holds it for multiple years?
What is the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) and how does it apply to multi-year stock valuation?
The Dividend Discount Model (DDM) states that the price of a stock is the present value of all expected future dividends plus the expected selling price.
What is the Constant Dividend Growth Model (Gordon Growth Model), and how is it used to value stocks?
- The Constant Dividend Growth Model (Gordon Growth Model) is a simplified version of the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) that assumes a firm’s dividends grow at a constant rate (g) forever.
- Not always realistic, as dividend growth can fluctuate due to economic conditions.
How are dividends determined, and what trade-off does a company face between dividends and growth?
- A company can either pay out earnings as dividends to shareholders or reinvest them to grow the business.
- This creates a trade-off between paying dividends now vs. increasing future earnings.
How Can a Company Increase Dividends?
- Increase earnings (net income).
- Raise the dividend payout rate.
How does a company’s retention rate affect its earnings growth?
Instead of paying all earnings as dividends, a company can retain some profits and reinvest them in the business.
What determines a company’s earnings growth rate, and how is it calculated?
How does retaining earnings instead of paying dividends impact stock price?
Retaining earnings can have two effects on stock price:
- Increasing growth rate (g) raises stock price.
- Reducing current dividend (Div₁) lowers stock price.
When should a firm retain earnings versus paying dividends to maximize firm value?
The optimal policy depends on the profitability of the firm’s investments:
- If reinvestment generates high returns (positive NPV projects) → Retain more earnings to fund growth.
- If reinvestment yields low returns → Pay dividends, as shareholders can reinvest elsewhere for better returns.
A firm should retain more earnings only if it can achieve a high return on new investments; otherwise, paying dividends is a better strategy.
Why can’t the constant dividend growth model be applied to all firms?
The constant dividend growth model assumes dividends grow at a fixed rate indefinitely.
However, this does not hold for many firms, especially young firms, because:
- They experience high initial earnings growth rates.
- They often reinvest all earnings instead of paying dividends.
- Their growth slows down over time, eventually leading to stable dividend payments.
When growth is not constant, the constant growth model cannot be applied directly.
How do you value a stock when dividend growth is not constant?
A two-phase valuation approach is used:
Phase 1: High-Growth Period (Irregular Dividends)
- Forecast dividends for the years before growth stabilizes.
- Discount these dividends to their present value.
Phase 2: Constant Growth Period
- Apply the constant dividend growth model once dividends grow at a stable rate.
- Discount this future stock price back to today.
What are the key limitations of the Dividend Discount Model (DDM)?
The Dividend Discount Model (DDM) has significant limitations:
- High uncertainty in forecasting a firm’s dividend growth rate and future dividends.
- Small changes in the assumed growth rate can lead to large variations in the estimated stock price.
This makes DDM less reliable for firms with unpredictable dividend policies.
How does the Total Payout Model (TPM) differ from the Dividend Discount Model (DDM)?
What is the Discounted Free Cash Flow (DCF) Model, and how does it determine a firm’s value?
The Discounted Free Cash Flow (DCF) Model determines a firm’s value by considering all investors (both equity and debt holders), using Free Cash Flow (FCF) instead of dividends or share repurchases.