More on Investing Lise Woodard Buy-side Equity Analyst, Wilkins Investment Counsel smartwomansecurities © 2006 Smart Woman Securities. All materials are for SWS members’ use only October 11, 2006
The Investment Industry
Types of Firms –Large publicly traded firms, such as Goldman Sachs, addressing a wide range of assets and services –Firms focused on a specific asset class – i.e., bonds –Firms focused on a specific type of client –Firms focused on a particular product – i.e., mutual funds –Where do hedge funds fit in? Investment Industry
–Investment firms serve different needs oWho is the Client? Institution or Individual? oHow is the client charged for the investment advise? oIs equity participation through mutual funds or individual stocks? oWhat is the role of the portfolio manager? The analyst? Buy- side or sell-side? oDoes the analyst do primary research or secondary research? oWhat is the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation? oWhat is the investment style of the firm? Investment Industry
Case Study – American Tower
COMPANY DESCRIPTION –Largest wireless tower company in the U.S. with leading positions in Mexico and Brazil –Headquartered in Boston American Tower
DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCE CHARACTERISTICS –Wireless demand remains strong – family plans, 3G, video and data –Highly attractive operating margins –Success independent of which technology will be deployed by carriers
American Tower INTERMEDIATE EARNINGS DYNAMICS –Company estimating 2006 free cash flow of $500 million FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT –Highly leveraged balance sheet –Seasoned management team, initially with founder Steve Dodge
American Tower COMPETITION AND RISKS –Merged with SpectraSite (#3 player) in 2005, Crown Castle is #2 –Risks include technology replacement, higher interest expense, financial health of carriers
American Tower INVESTMENT CONCLUSION
Annual Report Update topics –Recent Updates –Intermediate Earnings Dynamics –Investment Conclusion American Tower
Researching a Company Newspaper articles –National: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s –Local: Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal
Researching a Company Other sources –Magazines such as the Economist, Fortune –Industry-specific journals –ValueLine –Sell-side reports and hosted luncheons
Researching a Company Company sponsored events –Annual meeting and annual report –Quarterly conference calls to announce financial results –Financial conference presentations available on the company’s web site
Researching a Company SEC filings –10-K annual report and proxy statement –10-Q quarterly report –8K similar to a press release
Building a financial model EYoY% Tower revenue % Services revenue % Tower expenses % Tower Cash flow % Operating Margin67% 75% EBITDA % Interest expense Depreciation & amort Income before taxes (27) 100 Taxes 4 0 Net profit EPS excl. one-time charges (0.10) 0.20 GAAP EPS (0.57) Free cash flow
Metrics to value a company Price to Earnings (P/E) Ratio PEG - P/E ratio divided by long-term growth rate Book Value Return on Shareholder Equity – Net profit divided by Shareholder Equity Dividend yield Price to sales ratio
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