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United Online, (United Online,) Earnings Power Value (EPV) : $3.94 (As of Mar16)


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What is United Online, Earnings Power Value (EPV)?

As of Mar16, United Online,'s earnings power value is $3.94. *

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

Margin of Safety is -209.25

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.


United Online, Earnings Power Value (EPV) Historical Data

The historical data trend for United Online,'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.

United Online, Earnings Power Value (EPV) Chart

United Online, Annual Data
Trend Dec06 Dec07 Dec08 Dec09 Dec10 Dec11 Dec12 Dec13 Dec14 Dec15
Earnings Power Value (EPV)
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United Online, Quarterly Data
Jun11 Sep11 Dec11 Mar12 Jun12 Sep12 Dec12 Mar13 Jun13 Sep13 Dec13 Mar14 Jun14 Sep14 Dec14 Mar15 Jun15 Sep15 Dec15 Mar16
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Competitive Comparison of United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV)

For the Internet Content & Information subindustry, United Online,'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.


United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV) Distribution in the Interactive Media Industry

For the Interactive Media industry and Communication Services sector, United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV) distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV) falls into.



United Online, 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.

United Online,'s "Earning Power" Calculation:

Average of Last 20 Quarters Last Quarter
Revenue 173.1
DDA 10.7
Operating Margin % 5.24
SGA * 25% 23.2
Tax Rate % 1.29
Maintenance Capex 7.9
Cash and Cash Equivalents 98.1
Short-Term Debt 0.0
Long-Term Debt 0.0
Shares Outstanding (Diluted) 92.6

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 = 5.24%

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 = $173.1 Mil, Average Operating Margin = 5.24%, Average Adjusted SGA = 23.2,
therefore "Normalized" EBIT = Sustainable Revenue * Average Operating Margin + Average Adjusted SGA = 173.1 * 5.24% +23.2 = $32.318736566 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 = 1.29%, and "Normalized" EBIT = $32.318736566 Mil,
therefore After-tax "Normalized" EBIT = "Normalized" EBIT * ( 1 - Average Tax Rate ) = 32.318736566 * ( 1 - 1.29% ) = $31.903117613761 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) = 10.7 * 0.5 * 1.29% = $0.068934744 Mil.
"Normalized" Earnings = After-tax "Normalized" EBIT + Excess Depreciation = 31.903117613761 + 0.068934744 = $31.972052357761 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.
United Online,'s Average Maintenance CAPEX = $7.9 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. United Online,'s current cash and cash equivalent = $98.1 Mil.
United Online,'s current interest bearing debt = Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation = 0.0 + 0.0 = $0 Mil.
United Online,'s current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) = 92.6 Mil.

United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV) for Mar16 is calculated as:

EPV = ( ( Norm. Earnings-Maint. CAPEX *) / WACC + CashandEquiv - Int. Bearing Debt ) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
= ( ( 31.972052357761 - 7.9)/ 9%+98.1-0 )/92.6
=3.94

Margin of Safety (EPV)=( Earnings Power Value (EPV)-Current Price )/Earnings Power Value (EPV)
=( 3.9417630161048-12.19 )/3.9417630161048
= -209.25%

* 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.


United Online,  (NAS:UNTDV) 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.


United Online, Earnings Power Value (EPV) Related Terms

Thank you for viewing the detailed overview of United Online,'s Earnings Power Value (EPV) provided by GuruFocus.com. Please click on the following links to see related term pages.


United Online, (United Online,) Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
N/A
Address
United Online Inc is a Delaware corporation that commenced operations in 2001 following the merger of dial-up Internet access providers NetZero, Inc. (NetZero) and Juno Online Services, Inc. The Company provides consumer services and products over the Internet under a number of brands, including StayFriends, Trombi, MyPoints, NetZero, and Juno. The Company operates in two segments, namely Content & Media and Communications. The Content & Media segment provides social networking services and products under the StayFriends, and Trombi brands. It operates its social networking services as a platform to enable users to locate and interact with acquaintances from their past, with high school affiliations as the primary focus. Its domestic and international social networking services comprise a large and diverse population of users. It also provides advertising opportunities to marketers with both brand and direct response objectives through a full suite of display, search, email, and text-link opportunities across its various properties. Its social networking products primarily consist of yearbook reprints. Its principal Communications pay service is dial-up Internet access, offered under the NetZero and Juno brands. It also offers mobile broadband, DSL, email, Internet security, web hosting services, and other services. Each of its services, including social networking services, loyalty marketing service, and Internet access services operates on a separate and distinct technology platform. The Company has international operations in India and Germany. Its operations in India primarily handle software development and operations, quality assurance and email customer support. Its operations in Germany provide social networking services in Germany, Sweden, France, Austria, and Switzerland. It competes with major social networking platforms such as Facebook, as well as Internet search engines such as Google, other online loyalty marketing programs, such as Ebates, as well as offline loyalty marketing programs that have a significant online presence, such as those operated by credit card, airline and hotel companies, members from online providers of discounted offerings and coupons, such as Groupon and LivingSocial, as well as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The Company is subject to a number of international, federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including, without limitation, those relating to taxation, bulk email or "spam," advertising, user privacy and data protection, consumer protection, antitrust, export, and unclaimed property.

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