The stock of Cerus (NAS:CERS, 30-year Financials) is estimated to be modestly undervalued, 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 $6.18 per share and the market cap of $1 billion, Cerus stock is estimated to be modestly undervalued. GF Value for Cerus is shown in the chart below.
Because Cerus is relatively undervalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be higher than its business growth, which averaged 13.7% over the past five years.
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Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Thus, it is important to carefully review the financial strength of a company before deciding whether to buy its stock. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great starting point for understanding the financial strength of a company. Cerus has a cash-to-debt ratio of 2.00, which is worse than 73% of the companies in Biotechnology industry. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of Cerus at 5 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Cerus is fair. This is the debt and cash of Cerus over the past years:
It is less risky to invest in profitable companies, especially those with consistent profitability over long term. A company with high profit margins is usually a safer investment than those with low profit margins. Cerus has been profitable 0 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $114.2 million and loss of $0.36 a share. Its operating margin is -51.06%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Biotechnology industry. Overall, the profitability of Cerus is ranked 2 out of 10, which indicates poor profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Cerus over the past years:
One of the most important factors in the valuation of a company is growth. Long-term stock performance is closely correlated with growth according to GuruFocus research. Companies that grow faster create more value for shareholders, especially if that growth is profitable. The average annual revenue growth of Cerus is 13.7%, which ranks better than 66% of the companies in Biotechnology industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth is 12.4%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Biotechnology industry.
Another way to evaluate a company's profitability is to compare its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted cost of capital (WACC). 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. If the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it indicates that the company is creating value for shareholders. Over the past 12 months, Cerus's ROIC was -103.53, while its WACC came in at 8.42. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Cerus is shown below:
In closing, Cerus (NAS:CERS, 30-year Financials) stock appears to be modestly undervalued. The company's financial condition is fair and its profitability is poor. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Biotechnology industry. To learn more about Cerus stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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