A Look At The Fair Value Of Alpha Technology Group Limited (NASDAQ:ATGL)

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Alpha Technology Group is US$2.36 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Alpha Technology Group's US$2.76 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate

• Industry average of 61% suggests Alpha Technology Group's peers are currently trading at a higher premium to fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Alpha Technology Group Limited (NASDAQ:ATGL) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

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. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Alpha Technology Group

The Method

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last 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 (HK$, Millions)	HK$6.27m	HK$8.84m	HK$11.4m	HK$13.9m	HK$16.1m	HK$17.9m	HK$19.5m	HK$20.9m	HK$22.0m	HK$23.1m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Est @ 57.66%	Est @ 41.07%	Est @ 29.46%	Est @ 21.34%	Est @ 15.65%	Est @ 11.67%	Est @ 8.88%	Est @ 6.93%	Est @ 5.57%	Est @ 4.61%
Present Value (HK$, Millions) Discounted @ 8.2%	HK$5.8	HK$7.5	HK$9.0	HK$10.1	HK$10.8	HK$11.2	HK$11.2	HK$11.1	HK$10.8	HK$10.5

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = HK$98m

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 (2.4%) 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 8.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = HK$23m× (1 + 2.4%) ÷ (8.2%– 2.4%) = HK$404m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= HK$404m÷ ( 1 + 8.2%)¹⁰= HK$183m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is HK$281m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$2.8, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The 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 Alpha Technology 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 8.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.067. 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 Alpha Technology Group

Strength

• Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

• Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

• Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows.

• Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine ATGL's earnings prospects.

Threat

• No apparent threats visible for ATGL.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it 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. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Alpha Technology Group, we've put together three additional elements you should further research:

1. Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Alpha Technology Group (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .

2. 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!

3. Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NASDAQCM 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.

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