Company Description: Abbvie Inc. is a global research-based pharmaceuticals business that emerged as a separate entity following its spin-off from Abbott Laboratories at the start of 2013. AbbVie's key drug is Humira for rheumatoid arthritis.
Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. Avg. High Yield Price
2. 20-Year DCF Price
3. Avg. P/E Price
4. Graham Number
ABBV is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 9.4% premium to its calculated fair value of $35.19. ABBV did not earn any Stars in this section.
Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. Free Cash Flow Payout
2. Debt To Total Capital
3. Key Metrics
4. Dividend Growth Rate
5. Years of Div. Growth
6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%
ABBV earned three Stars in this section for 1.), 2.) and 3.) above. A Star was earned since the Free Cash Flow payout ratio was less than 60% and there were no negative Free Cash Flows over the last 10 years. The stock earned a Star as a result of its most recent Debt to Total Capital being less than 45%. ABBV earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1926 and has increased its dividend payments for 40 consecutive years.
Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. NPV MMA Diff.
2. Years to > MMA
ABBV earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $3,757. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as ABBV has. The stock's current yield of 4.16% exceeds the 2.54% estimated 20-year average MMA rate.
Memberships and Peers: ABBV is a member of the S&P 500. The company's peer group includes: Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) with a 3.9% yield, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY) with a 3.6% yield, and Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) with a 3.6% yield.
Conclusion: ABBV did not earn any Stars in the Fair Value section, earned three Stars in the Dividend Analytical Data section and earned one Star in the Dividend Income vs. MMA section for a total of four Stars. This quantitatively ranks ABBV as a 4-Star Strong stock.
Using my D4L-PreScreen.xls model, I determined the share price would need to increase to $89.51 before ABBV's NPV MMA Differential decreased to the $500 minimum that I look for in a stock with 40 years of consecutive dividend increases. At that price the stock would yield 1.8%.
Resetting the D4L-PreScreen.xls model and solving for the dividend growth rate needed to generate the target $500 NPV MMA Differential, the calculated rate is 0.4%. This dividend growth rate is significantly below the 8.9% used in this analysis, thus providing a margin of safety. ABBV has a risk rating of 1.00 which classifies it as a Low risk stock.
ABBV owns the best-in-class immunology drug Humira. With it, the company is well-positioned to produce strong cash flows to support future development of drugs in the pipeline. However, these drugs may not reach the market until 2015, well after several midsized drugs loses their patent protection. ABBV's new hepatitis C drugs should be first to the market in 2015. Humira should continue to grow through the end of the decade, with its expansion into emerging markets. ABBV is currently trading above my calculated fair value of $35.19, as such, I will watch for opportune times to add to my position.
Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. The above quantitative stock analysis, including the Star rating, is mechanically calculated and is based on historical information. The analysis assumes the stock will perform in the future as it has in the past. This is generally never true. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. See my Disclaimer for more information.
Full Disclosure: At the time of this writing, I was long ABBV (3.4% of my Dividend Growth Portfolio). See a list of all my dividend growth holdings here.
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Tags: [ABBV] [MRK] [BMY] [LLY]