Global Financial Markets Analysis
My blog provides views and analysis of the current global market conditions in US, Europe, China, Japan, Brazil, etc. major financial markets and how it affects some of the public companies which are part of these financial markets. I use both fundamental analysis as well as technical analysis to opine on some of the names which I follow. Feel free to add your comments. Note: Suggestions are my own personal and I am not responsible for any performance of personal holdings or recommendations.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Commentary on Basic Materials (Metals & Mining) space
China is the world’s biggest consumer of iron
ore, copper and consumption of these basic materials in China (primarily) and
elsewhere globally, drives prices of these commodities. Global GDP growth is a
fair indicator of how demand and prices of these basic materials are affected. Emerging
market BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) were on a big growth
trajectory (double-digit growth in China) earlier this decade and which has
since slowed down affecting the prices and demand for these commodities.
Here are some of the different sub-sectors and prominent players starting with the mine equipment makers: Joy Global and Caterpillar Inc. (after 2010 acquisition of Bucyrus) which supplies global miners with the necessary mining equipment. In the iron-ore space, the Australian miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto and Vale (Brazil) are the primary global players. Amongst copper miners, Rio Tinto controlled Turquoise Hill Resources (formerly Ivanhoe Mines) is working on a mega-project Oyu Tolgoi (in South Gobi, Mongolia) which is dubbed as having the world’s largest copper and gold deposits. In the copper mining space FCX (Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold) is also a prominent player which currently has diversified into other areas (oil and natural gas) besides copper and gold.
A lot of these companies work in volatile areas like Africa, Asia and South America where labor and government related issues are quite common including the issues at the Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia operated by Freeport (FCX).
The coal industry has been struggling for the last few years and all the major U.S. based coal miners have been affected including the bankruptcy of Patriot Coal (PCX) and the recent restructuring of James River Coal (JRCC). New EPA regulations around emission standards for coal-fired plants operated by the electric utilities as well as competition from cheaper natural gas (which is in abundance in continental U.S.) is making it easier for utilities to convert to natural gas, affecting the coal industry.
Here are some of the different sub-sectors and prominent players starting with the mine equipment makers: Joy Global and Caterpillar Inc. (after 2010 acquisition of Bucyrus) which supplies global miners with the necessary mining equipment. In the iron-ore space, the Australian miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto and Vale (Brazil) are the primary global players. Amongst copper miners, Rio Tinto controlled Turquoise Hill Resources (formerly Ivanhoe Mines) is working on a mega-project Oyu Tolgoi (in South Gobi, Mongolia) which is dubbed as having the world’s largest copper and gold deposits. In the copper mining space FCX (Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold) is also a prominent player which currently has diversified into other areas (oil and natural gas) besides copper and gold.
A lot of these companies work in volatile areas like Africa, Asia and South America where labor and government related issues are quite common including the issues at the Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia operated by Freeport (FCX).
The coal industry has been struggling for the last few years and all the major U.S. based coal miners have been affected including the bankruptcy of Patriot Coal (PCX) and the recent restructuring of James River Coal (JRCC). New EPA regulations around emission standards for coal-fired plants operated by the electric utilities as well as competition from cheaper natural gas (which is in abundance in continental U.S.) is making it easier for utilities to convert to natural gas, affecting the coal industry.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Under Armour - Fundamental Analysis & Equity Valuation
UNDER ARMOUR Fundamental Analysis - by Debashis Das & Matthew Semprucci
Quick Facts
52 week range : 29.73 – 62.40 Beta : 0.92
Market Capitalization : 12.73B Institutional Ownership : 83%
Trailing 12-Month P/E : 76.37 Trailing 12-Month EPS :
.78
Common Shares Outstanding : 173.96M Dividend/Yield :
N/A
Our Recommendation: HOLD
Introduction
Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) is
a developer, marketer and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear
and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking fabrications are engineered in
many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a
performance alternative to traditional products. These products are sold
worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional on
playing fields around the globe, as well as by consumers with active
lifestyles.
Financial Ratios
Valuation Ratios
|
12/31/11
|
12/31/12
|
12/31/13
|
Price-to-Earnings
|
38.91
|
40.08
|
58.07
|
Price-to-Sales
|
2.56
|
2.81
|
4.04
|
Price-to-Book
|
5.93
|
6.32
|
8.95
|
Earnings per Share
|
.46
|
.61
|
.75
|
Enterprise Value
|
$3.24 B
|
$4.48 B
|
$8.55 B
|
EV/EBIT
|
20.12
|
21.44
|
32.24
|
EV/EBITDA
|
16.45
|
17.77
|
27.08
|
Profitability Ratios
|
12/31/11
|
12/31/12
|
12/31/13
|
Gross Profit Margin
|
48.40%
|
47.92%
|
48.74%
|
Operating Margin
|
11.05%
|
11.37%
|
11.37%
|
Net Profit Margin
|
6.58%
|
7.02%
|
6.96%
|
Return on Assets
|
12.16%
|
12.40%
|
11.87%
|
Return on Equity
|
17.10%
|
17.72%
|
17.36%
|
Solvency Ratios
|
12/31/11
|
12/31/12
|
12/31/13
|
Debt-to-Assets
|
8.46%
|
5.35%
|
3.35%
|
Debt-to-Equity
|
12.21%
|
7.58%
|
5.02%
|
Current Ratio
|
3.76
|
3.58
|
2.65
|
Interest Coverage
|
42.38
|
40.27
|
90.38
|
12/31/11
|
12/31/12
|
12/31/13
|
|
Cash per share
|
.83
|
1.61
|
1.61
|
Price Performance
Summary
- Strong North American apparel business growth of more than 20% for 18 consecutive quarters (as of Q1, 2014).
- Strong revenue growth of more than 20% for the 16th consecutive quarter in Q1, 2014, i.e. for the last 4 years.
- Expansion into new categories (e.g. golf shirts), new geographies (Brazil & Chile) and new consumers.
- Growth fueled by multi-prong approach including foray into digitally connected fitness movement, growth in direct-to-consumer channel.
- Current valuation reflects the growth expectations.
Analysis of Recent Results
First Quarter 2014:
Under
Armour, Inc. reported very positive first quarter 2014 results on 24-Apr-2014
across all the different metrics in the financial statements. Reported net revenues
for first quarter ending Mar 31, 2014 was $641.6 million, year-over-year
increase of 36% as compared to first quarter ending Mar 31, 2013 with net revenues
of $471.6 million. Operating income (EBIT) increased from $13.5 million in Q1
2013 to $26.9 million in Q1 2014, i.e. almost 100% increase. Net Income
increased from $7.8 million in Q1 2013 resulting in earnings per (diluted)
share (EPS) of $0.04 to $13.5 million in Q1 2014 resulting in diluted EPS of
$0.06, i.e. an increase of 71% in diluted EPS. Gross profit margin grew from
46% for Q1 2013 to 47% for first quarter ending Mar 31, 2014, resulting in 95
basis points improvement. EBIT margin grew from 2.86% in Q1 2013 to 4.19% in Q1
2014, i.e. 133 basis points improvement. Highlights of the quarter included growth
across all major reported segments of the business. Accessories net revenues
increased 43% from $36 million in Q1 2013 to $52 million in Q1 2014, primarily
driven by headwear lines. Footwear net revenues increased 41% from $81 million
in Q1 2013 to $114 million in Q1 2014. Apparel which is Under Armour, Inc.
biggest business segment grew 33% during the quarter from $346 million in Q1
2013 to $459 million, i.e. an increase of 33%.
Fourth Quarter 2013 and Financial Year 2013:
Under Armour, Inc. reported fourth quarter 2013 and financial
year (FY) 2013 results on 30-Jan-2014. Net revenue for Q4 2013 increased 35% to
$683 million from $506 million in Q4 2012. For FY 2013 net revenues increased
27% to $2.33 billion from $1.83 billion in FY 2012. Operating income increased
from $82 million in Q4 2012 to $99 million in Q4 2013, i.e. an increase of 21%.
For the full year FY 2013, Operating income increased 27% to $265 million from
$209 million in FY 2012. Net Income increased from $50 million in Q4 2012 to
$64 million in Q4 2013 resulting in EPS change of 27% from $0.24 per share in
Q4 2012 to $0.30 per share in Q4 2013. For FY 2013 Net Income increased to $162
million from $129 million in FY 2012 resulting in full year EPS increase of 25%
from $0.62 per share in FY 2012 to $0.77 per share in FY 2013. Gross Profit
Margin also improved in Q4 2013 to 51% from 50% in Q4 2012. Annual improvement
in Gross Profit Margin was around 82 basis points to 49% in FY 2012 from 48% in
FY 2013. EBIT margin remained roughly the same across FY 2012 to FY 2013 at
around 11.37%. Growth across the major business segments in Q4 2013 was again nothing
short of great with 35% (to $546 million in Q4 2013 from $405 million in Q4
2012) growth in apparel, 24% (to $55 million in Q4 2013 from $45 million in Q4
2012) in footwear and 52% (to $65 million in Q4 2013 from $43 million in Q4
2012) in accessories.
Business Strategy, Growth Drivers & Investment Thesis/Rationale
Under Armour, Inc. has been performing consistently and has seen
growth across all its major segments across multiple quarters. This is
reflected in the current stock price which has experienced 5 year return of
more than 1000%. Following are some of the avenues which are driving this
consistent growth and which we think will continue for some more time before
returning to normal growth:
·
International
Growth – Under Armour, Inc. is in the early innings of its international growth
and expansion. Foreign revenues have been growing at a rate of more than 20% on
an annual basis. In Q1 2014, foreign revenues experienced more than 90% growth
as compared to Q1 2013 and as compared to U.S. domestic revenue growth of 32%.
Contribution of foreign revenues to total revenues is also increasing with
foreign revenues constituting around 9% of the total revenue in Q1 2014 and up
from 6.5% in Q1 2013. We believe that Under Armour, Inc. has a long runway
ahead in the foreign markets. Several recent endorsements including signed
agreements to outfit leading soccer clubs: Colo-Colo in Chile and Toluca and Cruz
Azul in Mexico lays the foundation and venture into one of the most popular
sports outside United States.
·
Domestic
Growth – Under Armour, Inc. recently announced partnerships to outfit two of
the most prestigious collegiate sports programs in the United States, the
University Of Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy. Domestic growth
is fueled by steady growth in the direct to consumer sales channel which
includes factory house, specialty stores, website and catalog. Contribution
from Direct to consumer is growing fast with 30% of the revenue coming from
this front in FY 2013. Besides direct to consumer, wholesale contributed 68% and
licensing channels contributed 2% to the total net revenues in FY 2013.
·
Healthy
Living – Under Armour, Inc. recent acquisition of MayMyFitness is going to
provide solutions to people to lead a healthy and better lifestyle. At the same
time this provides open digital information at the disposal of athletes to help
them perform better.
· Foray
into new frontiers – Venture into new areas and frontiers including launch of UA
performance gold shirts with same performance properties as football. Running,
Golf and Outdoor are big business categories which are going to drive growth
for Under Armour, Inc. Under Armour, Inc. is also launching its brand in Brazil
and Chile. In the English Premier League, Under Armour, Inc, is in the second
year of outfitting Tottenham Hotspur and brand awareness have grew three times
with more consumers bring brought into the brand.
·
Constant
Innovation – Under Armour, Inc. has been on the edge of performance apparel and
footwear and is evident in the multiple product launches each year. Recent
launch of SpeedForm™ Apollo footwear for running and ArmourVent® apparel in
2014. 2013 product launches include UA HEATGEAR® Sonic apparel, UA Spine Venom
running footwear and ARMOUR39™ fitness monitoring and tracking system.
Constant humming of the innovation mill, premium brand
pricing, more consumer awareness and international expansion will keep Under
Armour, Inc. performing in the quarters and years ahead. With a 5 year
consolidated return of more than 1000% we think that the growth story at Under
Armour, Inc. is far from over.
Competition & Peer Group Analysis
Competitors in this space include Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE),
Adidas AG (ADR) (OTC: ADDYY) and Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM). Table 1 shows some of the financial
metrics for Under Armour, Inc. as well as its peer group competitors.
From this table it is clearly evident that although UA is smaller
than some of its competitors it is growing at a much faster pace and hence
demand a premium in terms of its share price than any of its competitors. This
is evident from the latest quarterly revenue growth rate which at 36% is way
above its competitors. This premium pricing in shares of UA is also reflected
in the P/E ratio for UA which at 78 is much higher than any of its competitors.
Looking at the PEG (price-earnings to growth) ratio we see that it is clearly
above 2 and hence at the current price level we consider UA overvalued. Looking
at NKE and COLM we see that both are around PEG=2 or less than 2, i.e. fairly
valued (at PEG=2) or undervalued (at PEG <2). Peer group analysis also tells
us that both Gross Margin and Operating (EBIT) margin for UA is much better
than any of its competitors which are other reasons why UA has performed well
over the last few years.
*ttm – Trailing 12-Months
Management Analysis
Under Armour, Inc. was started in 1996 by University of
Maryland football player, Kevin Plank who is the current CEO of the company. It
started off with a plan of how to provide a compression shirt that can wick
perspiration off skin rather than absorb it, so that athletes can remain cool,
dry and light throughout the course of a game, workout or practice. Other
members of the team include Brad Dickerson, the CFO who has been around since
2008 and Kip Fulks who has been around since 1997. With this deep bench of
expertise in the executive management, we think Under Armour, Inc. has an edge
over any other company in the performance apparel and footwear business which
can take UA further along in its growth trajectory.
Financial Statement and Ratio Analysis
Annual financial ratios across different categories are
included in the Financial Ratios table on the first page of this report. In
terms of valuation ratios which includes P/E, P/S, P/BV, EV/EBIT and EV/EBITDA
we see that all the valuation ratios have consistently increased over the last
3 years (2011, 2012 and 2013) based on the fact that Under Armour, Inc. has
consistently beaten earnings estimation. For the end of FY 2013, we think that
the valuation for UA is stretched with P/E at 58.07 and EV/EBITDA at around 27.
In terms of Profitability Ratios we have seen earlier that
the latest FY 2013 displayed better Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin and
Net Profit Margin than the prior year(s). Although it needs to be noted that
ROA (Return on Assets) and ROE (Return on Equity) has gone down slightly in FY
2013 as compared to FY 2012.
Solvency Ratios for Under Armour, Inc. indicates that it has
been able to retire long term debt obligations from its balance sheet. This is
reflected in the lower Debt-to-Assets and Debt-to-Equity ratio as well as higher
Interest Coverage ratio. Although long-term debt obligation has been going down
both Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses has been going up at a faster rate (Exhibit 5).
From the Cash Flow Statement (Exhibit 6) it is seen that for Q1 2014, Accounts Receivable has had
a huge growth from the prior Q1 2013 period which is not healthy and which
means that UA is either not strict with cash collection or loose with its
credit terms. This resulted in negative operating cash flow in Q1 2014. Cash
and Cash Equivalents at the end of Q1 2014 was $180 million.
Model Valuation
We have used Free Cash Flow to Equity (FCFE) model for
intrinsic Discounted Cash Flow valuation of Under Armour, Inc. Following are
the assumptions used for the model:
1. Net revenues growth of 20% from FY
2014 – FY 2017 before falling down to a more normal growth of around 5%.
Management has been guiding growth of 22-24% but we would like to be
conservative in our growth estimates.
2. For Gross Profit, SG&A and
Effective Tax Rates we have used the average of the last two periods, e.g. for
quarterly estimates/projection we have used the previous two same quarter (e.g.
for June 30, 2014 we have used June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012 values) average
values.
3. Other variable components have been
kept constant and one-time items have not been included.
We arrive at a Total Enterprise Valuation of $3.66B based on
our growth estimates and a stock price of $16.85 (Exhibit 9) which is way below the current market price of $59.49 (as
of June 30, 2014). We feel that the current price of $59.49 fully reflects the
intrinsic valuation and growth expectations embedded in the UA stock. Hence we
are neutral on Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) with a HOLD recommendation.
Exhibit 1 - Historical Quarterly Income Statement(s) [Mar 31, 2012 – Mar 31, 2014]
Exhibit 3 - Under Armour, Inc.: Revenues & EBIT Growth by U.S. Domestic & International (Foreign) (Quarterly & Annual)
Exhibit 4 - Historical Balance Sheet(s) [Mar 31, 2012 – Mar 31, 2014]
Exhibit 5 - Historical Annual Balance Sheet(s) [Dec 31, 2010 – Dec 31, 2013]
Exhibit 6 - Historical Quarterly Statement of Cash Flows [Mar 31, 2012 – Mar 31, 2014]]
Exhibit 7 - Historical Annual Statement of Cash Flows [Dec 31, 2011 – Dec 31, 2013]
Exhibit 8 - Quarterly & Annual Earnings Projections
Exhibit 9 - FCFE Model Valuation of Under Armour, Inc.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Oil & Gas Sector: Major Players
Major Players in the Oil & Gas Sector
Major oil shale plays in U.S. include Eagle Ford shale, Bakken shale and the Permian Basin. Continental Resources (CLR) and EOG Resources
(EOG) are the primary players in the Bakken shale (Williston Basin/Three Forks and Sanish formations), EOG Resources (EOG) in the Eagle Ford shale and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD)
in the Permian Basin (Spraberry/Wolfcamp formations). Efficient horizontal drilling
techniques employed by these Exploration and Production companies is helping
them unlock vast oil reserves from these shale formations and driving their massive
growth (e.g. 39% 4-Year CAGR for EOG Resources from 2011–2014E[1])
in the last few years.
The picture below shows how EOG Resources is way ahead of others in some of the major shale plays.
U.S. based refiners - I like some of the players including Phillips 66 (PSX), Valero Energy (VLO) and Holly-Frontier (HFC) which are my favorite names because of their major refining capacity locations around the Gulf coast for Valero and mid-continent for Holly Frontier. Recent pipeline capacity and railroad expansion to southern Gulf coast is also helping transport crude easily from the major manufacturing shale regions deeper in the country to the refineries at the coast and helping relieve some of the glut from the major oil storage hub at Cushing, OK. Higher differential or spread between Brent -WTI (West Texas Intermediate) crude or Brent – LLS (Louisiana Light sweet) crude will help to boost the margins for the refiners for whom the cost of raw crude is tied to the lower U.S. mid-continent crude prices while their refined end product is sold at higher international Brent prices. The reason for the higher spread include global macroeconomic factors including tensions around Russian oil supply to Europe, domestic issues in Africa, higher demand from China, Japan and rest of Asia, etc. which would keep the international benchmark of Brent crude prices higher. At the same time higher inventory and supply of oil from the major shale plays would keep the WTI prices suppressed.
I see a lot of M&A potential as well in the U.S. based
shale oil plays where some of the big Asian (e.g. CNOOC China, etc.) or
European players (e.g. Total SA, Royal Dutch Shell, etc.) can easily scoop up
some of the U.S. based players having a big foothold in the major shale regions,
e.g. Statoil’s purchase of Brigham Exploration (BEXP) in the Bakken shale. The names which I like in this regard (potential M&A targets) include the mid-cap E&P names
like Oasis Petroleum (OAS) and
Whiting Petroleum (WLL) in the
Bakken, Gulfport Energy (GPOR) in the
Utica shale and Permian Basin (through ownership in Diamondback Energy) because
of consistent execution and growth potential.
The picture below depicts the geological landscape of the Permian Basin.
Source: Tom Fowler, Second Life for an Old Oil Field, Wall Street Journal, Nov 19, 2013.
[1]http://www.eogresources.com/investors/slides/InvPres_0314.pdf
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