The stock of Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM, 30-year Financials) appears to be fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $209.09 per share and the market cap of $192.6 billion, Salesforce.com stock is believed to be fairly valued. GF Value for Salesforce.com is shown in the chart below.
Because Salesforce.com is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth, which averaged 16.8% over the past three years and is estimated to grow 19.44% annually over the next three to five years.
Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.
Since investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss, investors must carefully review a company's financial strength before deciding whether to buy shares. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage can give a good initial perspective on the company's financial strength. Salesforce.com has a cash-to-debt ratio of 1.91, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Software industry. Based on this, GuruFocus ranks Salesforce.com's financial strength as 6 out of 10, suggesting fair balance sheet. This is the debt and cash of Salesforce.com over the past years:
Companies that have been consistently profitable over the long term offer less risk for investors who may want to purchase shares. Higher profit margins usually dictate a better investment compared to a company with lower profit margins. Salesforce.com has been profitable 5 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $21.3 billion and earnings of $4.39 a share. Its operating margin is 2.14%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Software industry. Overall, the profitability of Salesforce.com is ranked 6 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Salesforce.com over the past years:
Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term performance of a company's stock. The faster a company is growing, the more likely it is to be creating value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of Salesforce.com is 16.8%, which ranks better than 75% of the companies in Software industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 28.2%, which ranks better than 74% of the companies in Software industry.
Another method of determining the profitability of a company is to compare its return on invested capital to the weighted average cost of capital. Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. When the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it implies the company is creating value for shareholders. For the past 12 months, Salesforce.com's return on invested capital is 1.38, and its cost of capital is 8.19. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Salesforce.com is shown below:
In summary, the stock of Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM, 30-year Financials) is believed to be fairly valued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks better than 74% of the companies in Software industry. To learn more about Salesforce.com stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.
