QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)

ABC Corp is a well-established company in the technology sector. Over the past five years, it has consistently paid dividends and has a strong track record of growth. The company's board of directors has announced an expected dividend of R6.00 per share for the upcoming year. The company’s dividends have grown at an average rate of 8% per year for the past five years, and management expects this growth rate to continue for the next five years before stabilizing to a long-term growth rate of 4%.

Market Conditions:

The required rate of return for equity investors is estimated at 12%.
The current market price of ABC Corp shares is R75.00.
Questions:

Calculate the intrinsic value of a share of ABC Corp using the two-stage Dividend Discount Model (DDM). (25 Marks)
Compare your calculated intrinsic value to the current market price of R75.00. Based on your calculations, do you believe the shares are undervalued or overvalued? Justify your answer with supporting calculations. (5 Marks)

1 answer

To calculate the intrinsic value of ABC Corp using the two-stage Dividend Discount Model (DDM), we will first project the dividends over the two growth stages: the high growth stage of 8% and the stable growth stage of 4%.

Step 1: Calculate the expected dividends for the high growth phase (Years 1-5)

  • Dividend for Year 1 (D1): R6.00 (as given)
  • Dividend for Year 2 (D2): D1 × (1 + g) = R6.00 × (1 + 0.08) = R6.48
  • Dividend for Year 3 (D3): D2 × (1 + g) = R6.48 × (1 + 0.08) = R7.00
  • Dividend for Year 4 (D4): D3 × (1 + g) = R7.00 × (1 + 0.08) = R7.56
  • Dividend for Year 5 (D5): D4 × (1 + g) = R7.56 × (1 + 0.08) = R8.15

Dividends for the first five years:

  • D1 = R6.00
  • D2 = R6.48
  • D3 = R7.00
  • D4 = R7.56
  • D5 = R8.15

Step 2: Calculate the present value of dividends during the high growth phase (Years 1-5)

We will discount each dividend back to present value using the required rate of return of 12%:

\[ PV(D1) = \frac{6.00}{(1 + 0.12)^1} = \frac{6.00}{1.12} \approx 5.36 \]

\[ PV(D2) = \frac{6.48}{(1 + 0.12)^2} = \frac{6.48}{1.2544} \approx 5.17 \]

\[ PV(D3) = \frac{7.00}{(1 + 0.12)^3} = \frac{7.00}{1.404928} \approx 4.98 \]

\[ PV(D4) = \frac{7.56}{(1 + 0.12)^4} = \frac{7.56}{1.57351936} \approx 4.80 \]

\[ PV(D5) = \frac{8.15}{(1 + 0.12)^5} = \frac{8.15}{1.7623416} \approx 4.63 \]

Total present value of dividends for Years 1-5: \[ PV = 5.36 + 5.17 + 4.98 + 4.80 + 4.63 \approx 24.94 \]

Step 3: Calculate the present value of dividends during the stable growth phase (Year 6 onwards)

To find the present value of all future dividends during the stable growth phase, we first need to calculate the dividend for Year 6, which will grow at 4% perpetually.

\[ D6 = D5 \times (1 + g_{stable}) = 8.15 \times (1 + 0.04) = 8.15 \times 1.04 = R8.49 \]

The present value of dividends starting from Year 6 can be calculated using the Gordon Growth Model:

\[ PV(D6) = \frac{D6}{r - g_{stable}} = \frac{8.49}{0.12 - 0.04} = \frac{8.49}{0.08} \approx 106.13 \]

Since this amount is as of Year 5, we need to discount it back to the present value:

\[ PV(D6) = \frac{106.13}{(1 + 0.12)^5} = \frac{106.13}{1.7623416} \approx 60.19 \]

Step 4: Calculate the total intrinsic value of the stock

Add the present value of the high-growth phase and the present value of the stable growth phase:

\[ Total\ PV \approx 24.94 + 60.19 = 85.13 \]

Step 5: Compare the intrinsic value with the current market price

The calculated intrinsic value of ABC Corp using the two-stage DDM is approximately R85.13. The current market price of the shares is R75.00.

Conclusion:

Since the intrinsic value (R85.13) is greater than the current market price (R75.00), ABC Corp shares can be considered undervalued. This suggests a potential buying opportunity for investors, as the stock is trading below its estimated intrinsic value.

Justification: \[ \text{Intrinsic Value} = R85.13 > \text{Market Price} = R75.00 \] This indicates that the shares offer a value premium that could lead to price appreciation, making it an attractive investment option.