Key Insights
- Using the Dividend Discount Model, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store fair value estimate is US$54.72
- With US$58.19 share price, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value
- The US$71.63 analyst price target for CBRL is 31% more than our estimate of fair value
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL) as an investment opportunity by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.
Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. 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.
Step By Step Through The Calculation
As Cracker Barrel Old Country Store operates in the hospitality sector, we need to calculate the intrinsic value slightly differently. In this approach dividends per share (DPS) are used, as free cash flow is difficult to estimate and often not reported by analysts. Unless a company pays out the majority of its FCF as a dividend, this method will typically underestimate the value of the stock. The 'Gordon Growth Model' is used, which simply assumes that dividend payments will continue to increase at a sustainable growth rate forever. The dividend is expected to grow at an annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.3%. We then discount this figure to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.9%. Compared to the current share price of US$58.2, 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.
Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate)
= US$5.3 / (8.9% – 2.3%)
= US$54.7
The 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 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 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 8.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.446. 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 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
- Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.
- Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.
- Dividend information for CBRL.
- Earnings declined over the past year.
- Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market.
- Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.
- Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.
- Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the American market.
- See CBRL's dividend history.
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. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, we've put together three fundamental elements you should further research:
- Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
- Future Earnings: How does CBRL'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.
- 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.