Is There An Opportunity With Warby Parker Inc.'s (NYSE:WRBY) 33% Undervaluation?

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Warby Parker is US$18.94 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity
• Current share price of US$12.61 suggests Warby Parker is potentially 33% undervalued
• Analyst price target for WRBY is US$16.00 which is 16% below our fair value estimate

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Warby Parker Inc. (NYSE:WRBY) as an investment opportunity by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. 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.

View our latest analysis for Warby Parker

What's The Estimated Valuation?

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. 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, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$11.2m	US$22.7m	US$39.3m	US$59.5m	US$81.4m	US$102.8m	US$122.5m	US$139.7m	US$154.3m	US$166.5m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x3	Est @ 102.99%	Est @ 72.74%	Est @ 51.56%	Est @ 36.74%	Est @ 26.36%	Est @ 19.10%	Est @ 14.01%	Est @ 10.45%	Est @ 7.96%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.2%	US$10.4	US$19.8	US$31.9	US$45.0	US$57.4	US$67.6	US$75.1	US$79.9	US$82.3	US$82.8

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$552m

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₃ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$167m× (1 + 2.2%) ÷ (7.2%– 2.2%) = US$3.3b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$3.3b÷ ( 1 + 7.2%)¹⁰= US$1.7b

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$2.2b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$12.6, the company appears quite undervalued at a 33% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 Warby Parker 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 7.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.016. 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 Warby Parker

Moving On:

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. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. 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. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Warby Parker, we've put together three further aspects you should look at:

1. Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Warby Parker , and understanding it should be part of your investment process.
2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for WRBY'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.

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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.