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NetScout Systems (NetScout Systems) Earnings Power Value (EPV) : $15.63 (As of Dec23)


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What is NetScout Systems Earnings Power Value (EPV)?

As of Dec23, NetScout Systems's earnings power value is $15.63. *

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

Margin of Safety is -27.31

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future. Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.


NetScout Systems Earnings Power Value (EPV) Historical Data

The historical data trend for NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV) can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* Premium members only.

NetScout Systems Earnings Power Value (EPV) Chart

NetScout Systems Annual Data
Trend Mar14 Mar15 Mar16 Mar17 Mar18 Mar19 Mar20 Mar21 Mar22 Mar23
Earnings Power Value (EPV)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 31.24 20.82 10.36 13.15 15.00

NetScout Systems Quarterly Data
Mar19 Jun19 Sep19 Dec19 Mar20 Jun20 Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23
Earnings Power Value (EPV) Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 11.33 15.00 15.33 14.71 15.63

Competitive Comparison of NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV)

For the Software - Infrastructure subindustry, NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV), along with its competitors' market caps and Earnings Power Value (EPV) data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV) Distribution in the Software Industry

For the Software industry and Technology sector, NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV) distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV) falls into.



NetScout Systems Earnings Power Value (EPV) Calculation

Earnings Power Value also known as just Earnings Power is a valuation technique popularised by Bruce Greenwald, an authority on value investing at Columbia University. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future.

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. This valuation tool excludes the potential growth that a company may have so that needs to be looked at separately. Since future growth is excluded from the analysis, only the maintenance capital expenditures are subtracted from after-tax EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and growth capex is ignored.

NetScout Systems's "Earning Power" Calculation:

Average of Last 20 Quarters Last Quarter
Revenue 870.8
DDA 98.4
Operating Margin % 5.21
SGA * 25% 91.0
Tax Rate % 49.46
Maintenance Capex 9.1
Cash and Cash Equivalents 329.1
Short-Term Debt 12.0
Long-Term Debt 140.9
Shares Outstanding (Diluted) 71.1

1. Start with "Earnings" not including accounting adjustments (one-time charges not excluded unless policy has changed). "Earnings" are "Operating Income.

2. Look at average margins over a business/Industry cycle: Average Operating Margin = 5.21%

To normalize margins and eliminate the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle, it is usually best to take a long-term average of operating margins. Ideally this would be as long as 10 years and include at least one economic downturn. However, since most of companies do not have as long as 10-year history, here GuruFocus uses the latest 5 years data to do the calculation. To smooth out unusual years but reflect recent developments, we take an average of the 5 year margin.

3. Multiply average margins by sustainable revenues and then adjust for maintenance SGA. This yields "normalized" EBIT:

To be conservative, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year revenues as the sustainable revenue.
EPV analysis recognises that part of SG&A expenditure is made to maintain and replace the existing assets, while part is made to grow sales. Since EPV is only interested in what it costs a going concern to maintain its existing asset base, it adds back a percentage of SG&A (between 15% and 50% - this is a matter of judgment and industry knowledge) to make up for the fact that some of this expenditure went to fund growth and shouldn't be accounted for. To start off, we assume 25% for the sake of prudence.
Sustainable Revenue = $870.8 Mil, Average Operating Margin = 5.21%, Average Adjusted SGA = 91.0,
therefore "Normalized" EBIT = Sustainable Revenue * Average Operating Margin + Average Adjusted SGA = 870.8 * 5.21% +91.0 = $136.40408282 Mil.

4. Multiply by one minus Average Tax Rate (NOPAT):

Same as average operating margin calculation, GuruFocus takes an average of the 5 years tax rates.
Average Tax Rate = 49.46%, and "Normalized" EBIT = $136.40408282 Mil,
therefore After-tax "Normalized" EBIT = "Normalized" EBIT * ( 1 - Average Tax Rate ) = 136.40408282 * ( 1 - 49.46% ) = $68.944761640955 Mil.

5. Add back Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate). This yields "normalized" Earnings:

Excess Depreciation = Average DDA * % of Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate) = 98.4 * 0.5 * 49.46% = $24.3286935705 Mil.
"Normalized" Earnings = After-tax "Normalized" EBIT + Excess Depreciation = 68.944761640955 + 24.3286935705 = $93.273455211455 Mil.

6. Adjusted for Maintenance Capital Expenditure:

First, calculate the revenue change regarding to the previous year. If the revenue decreased from the previous year, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
Second, if the revenue increased from the previous year, then calculate the percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue.
Third, calculate Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was negative, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was positive, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
Fourth, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year maintenance capital expenditures as maintenance CAPEX.
NetScout Systems's Average Maintenance CAPEX = $9.1 Mil *.
* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

7. Investors require a return of "WACC" for the risk they are taking: WACC = 9%

8. NetScout Systems's current cash and cash equivalent = $329.1 Mil.
NetScout Systems's current interest bearing debt = Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation = 140.9 + 12.0 = $152.877 Mil.
NetScout Systems's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) = 71.1 Mil.

NetScout Systems's Earnings Power Value (EPV) for Dec23 is calculated as:

EPV = ( ( Norm. Earnings-Maint. CAPEX *) / WACC + CashandEquiv - Int. Bearing Debt ) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
= ( ( 93.273455211455 - 9.1)/ 9%+329.1-152.877 )/71.1
=15.63

Margin of Safety (EPV)=( Earnings Power Value (EPV)-Current Price )/Earnings Power Value (EPV)
=( 15.630623629062-19.90 )/15.630623629062
= -27.31%

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.


NetScout Systems  (NAS:NTCT) Earnings Power Value (EPV) Explanation

Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.

Earnings power value (EPV) uses a very basic equation which assumes no growth, although it does rely on an assumption about the cost of capital as well as the fact that current earnings are sustainable. It also involves several adjustments to clean up the underlying Earnings figures.


Be Aware

Though using today's earnings in calculating Earnings Power Value, GuruFocus is normalizing these earnings to the business cycle. This eliminates the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle. This means that we are considering the average earnings over 5 years.


NetScout Systems Earnings Power Value (EPV) Related Terms

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NetScout Systems (NetScout Systems) Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
310 Littleton Road, Westford, MA, USA, 01886-4105
NetScout Systems Inc is a provider of service assurance and cybersecurity solutions to enterprise and government networks. It bases its solutions on proprietary adaptive service intelligence technology, which helps customers monitor and identify performance issues and provides insight into network-based security threats. These solutions also deliver real-time and historical information, which provides insight to restore service and understand the quality of user experience. The company derives revenue primarily from the sale of network management tools and security solutions. Its geographical regions include USA, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World.
Executives
Michael Szabados officer: Chief Operating Officer 271 MATTISON DRIVE, CONCORD MA 01742
John Downing officer: SVP, Worldwide Sales Operation 310 LITTLETON ROAD, WESTFORD MA 01886
Hadzima Joseph G Jr director ONE BROADWAY, STE 1300, CAMBRIDGE MA 02142
Jean A Bua officer: See Remarks
Marlene Pelage director C/O NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., 310 LITTLETON ROAD, WESTFORD MA 01886
Shannon Nash director C/O USERTESTING, INC., 144 TOWNSEND STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94107
Vivian M Vitale director
Vincent J Mullarkey director 2 WINGATE LANE, ACTON MA 01720
Susan Louise Spradley director C/O NORTEL NETWORKS, 8200 DIXIE ROAD STE 100, BRAMPTON ONTARIO A6 L6T 5PT
Alfred Grasso director C/O NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., 310 LITTLETON ROAD, WESTFORD MA 01886
Victor Demarines director
Christopher Perretta director C/O STATE STREET CORPORATION, ONE LINCOLN STREET, BOSTON MA 02111
John R Egan director 176 SOUTH ST., HOPKINTON MA 01748
Robert E Donahue director
Anil K Singhal director, officer: Chief Executive Officer C/O NETSCOUT SYTEMS INC, 310 LITTLETON ROAD, WESTFORD MA 01886