GURUFOCUS.COM » STOCK LIST » Communication Services » Media - Diversified » Warner Music Group Corp (NAS:WMG) » Definitions » Earnings Power Value (EPV)

WMG (Warner Music Group) Earnings Power Value (EPV) : $3.13 (As of Sep24)


View and export this data going back to 2020. Start your Free Trial

What is Warner Music Group Earnings Power Value (EPV)?

As of Sep24, Warner Music Group's earnings power value is $3.13. *

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

Margin of Safety is -940.53

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.


Warner Music Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Historical Data

The historical data trend for Warner Music Group'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.

Warner Music Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Chart

Warner Music Group Annual Data
Trend Sep15 Sep16 Sep17 Sep18 Sep19 Sep20 Sep21 Sep22 Sep23 Sep24
Earnings Power Value (EPV)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.91 -0.56 - 1.62 3.13

Warner Music Group Quarterly Data
Dec19 Mar20 Jun20 Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24
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 1.62 2.14 2.31 2.62 3.13

Competitive Comparison of Warner Music Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV)

For the Entertainment subindustry, Warner Music Group'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.


Warner Music Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) Distribution in the Media - Diversified Industry

For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Warner Music Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Warner Music Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) falls into.



Warner Music Group 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.

Warner Music Group's "Earning Power" Calculation:

Average of Last 20 Quarters Last Quarter
Revenue 5,629
DDA 313
Operating Margin % 8.98
SGA * 25% 462
Tax Rate % 26.98
Maintenance Capex 279
Cash and Cash Equivalents 694
Short-Term Debt 45
Long-Term Debt 4,242
Shares Outstanding (Diluted) 518

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 = 8.98%

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 = $5,629 Mil, Average Operating Margin = 8.98%, Average Adjusted SGA = 462,
therefore "Normalized" EBIT = Sustainable Revenue * Average Operating Margin + Average Adjusted SGA = 5,629 * 8.98% +462 = $967.233284 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 = 26.98%, and "Normalized" EBIT = $967.233284 Mil,
therefore After-tax "Normalized" EBIT = "Normalized" EBIT * ( 1 - Average Tax Rate ) = 967.233284 * ( 1 - 26.98% ) = $706.29308864248 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) = 313 * 0.5 * 26.98% = $42.22057 Mil.
"Normalized" Earnings = After-tax "Normalized" EBIT + Excess Depreciation = 706.29308864248 + 42.22057 = $748.51365864248 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.
Warner Music Group's Average Maintenance CAPEX = $279 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. Warner Music Group's current cash and cash equivalent = $694 Mil.
Warner Music Group's current interest bearing debt = Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation = 4,242 + 45 = $4287 Mil.
Warner Music Group's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) = 518 Mil.

Warner Music Group's Earnings Power Value (EPV) for Sep24 is calculated as:

EPV = ( ( Norm. Earnings-Maint. CAPEX *) / WACC + CashandEquiv - Int. Bearing Debt ) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
= ( ( 748.51365864248 - 279)/ 9%+694-4287 )/518
=3.13

Margin of Safety (EPV)=( Earnings Power Value (EPV)-Current Price )/Earnings Power Value (EPV)
=( 3.1253387622004-32.52 )/3.1253387622004
= -940.53%

* 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.


Warner Music Group  (NAS:WMG) 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.


Warner Music Group Earnings Power Value (EPV) Related Terms

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


Warner Music Group Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
1633 Broadway, New York, NY, USA, 10019
Warner Music is the third-largest of the three major record companies. Recorded music accounts for most of the firm's revenue, with the segment housing notable record labels including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records. Some of the most successful current artists signed to record deals with Warner include Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa. Warner's remaining revenue comes from its publishing business, where Warner Chappell represents more than 180,000 songwriters and composers, some of whom are also Warner recording artists but many of whom are not recording artists or are attached to other labels. Warner Chappel controls more than 1 million musical compositions. Access Industries controls 98% of Warner's voting rights, while holding a 72% economic interest.
Executives
Max Lousada director, officer: CEO, Recorded Music C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Carletta Higginson officer: EVP, Chief Digital Officer C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Bryan Castellani officer: Chief Financial Officer C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Valentin Blavatnik director C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Entertainment Holdings Ii Llc 10 percent owner 40 WEST 57TH STREET, 28TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10019
Lincoln E Benet director C/O LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V., DELFTSEPLEIN 27E, ROTTERDAM P7 3013AA
Timothy Matusch officer: EVP Strategy & Operations C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Robert Kyncl officer: Co-CEO C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Nancy Dubuc director C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Ai Entertainment Holdings Llc 10 percent owner C/O ACCESS INDUSTRIES, LLC, 40 WEST 57TH ST, 28TH FLR, NEW YORK NY 10019
Louis Dickler officer: Acting CFO & Corp. Contr. C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Noreena Hertz director C/O WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP., 1633 BROADWAY, NEW YORK NY 10019
Cecelia Kurzman director 237 PARK AVENUE, REVLON, 14TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10017
Thomas H Lee director C/O THOMAS H. LEE CAPITAL LLC, 767 FIFTH AVENUE, 6TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10153
Michael Lynton director 2000 AVENUE OF THE STARS 12TH FL, LOS ANGELES CA 90067