The Application of Income Valuation Models to Energy Utilities

The Application of Income Valuation Models to Energy Utilities
Author: Andrew C.. Hackett
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

The goal of valuation models that value publicly traded companies would appear simple enough: to provide a single number that represents a company's value. For the mature, stable energy utility industry, an industry traditionally shielded from competitive market forces, it would appear to be particularly straightforward. Yet, even in this industry, the application of valuation models is not straightforward. There are multiple reasons for this: valuation models use historical data to make predictions on the future, and the past is not always a reliable guide to the future; valuations can be highly sensitive to the choice of inputs and for certain inputs there are not widely held agreements in the field on which ones to use; companies can face unique economic circumstances, requiring the selection of a model that best fits these circumstances; and finally, industries change, and valuation models need to reflect these changes to ensure that they are properly predicting the future risks and growth potentials of the companies that they are attempting to value. By applying income valuation techniques to the energy utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), several conclusions can be reached. First, a valuation model must match the company it is attempting to value: there is no such thing as a universal valuation model that can be applied to all companies. Second, since companies compete for capital in competitive markets, company valuations should be viewed against their industry peers and industry averages. In the case of PG&E, a model needs to take into account its distressed growth in the immediate term caused by the effects and consequences of the San Bruno gas explosion of September 9, 2010. By comparing PG&E's valuation to two of its industry peers, Xcel Energy and NextEra Energy, one can better understand why the market values these companies differently and why different valuation models need to be applied to all three to capture their unique economic realities: PG&E with distressed short-term growth, Xcel Energy with stable growth, and NextEra Energy with a higher growth potential from a higher reinvestment of capital into generating assets. Finally, since valuation models are forward-looking, these models need to take into account changing industry structures. In the case of energy utilities, deregulation in electrical generation has created both higher growth prospects, but also greater market risks, and valuation models will need to capture these.

Regulation and the Valuation Relevance of Book Vale and Earnings

Regulation and the Valuation Relevance of Book Vale and Earnings
Author: Emeka T. Nwaeze
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 1999
Genre:
ISBN:

Electric utilities in the United States are subject to a cost-plus normal profits pricing that is designed to align the market value of equity with the balance sheet book value. Perfect alignment implies the equality of the market and book values. Extant empirical evidence suggests that, for these utilities, actual cost/profit recovery does not follow a pure cost-plus pricing, raising the prospect that income statement items contribute to the determination of market value. What is not obvious is the extent to which the noted departure from pure cost-plus pricing results in misalignment of the market and book values, or the relative contribution of income statement items to the valuation of electric utility shares. This study pursues this questions, using benchmark results for a sample of manufacturing firms to highlight the degree of market-to-book alignment for regulated and competitive firms.The results show a considerable alignment of the market and book values for utilities. In examining the relevance of book value and income statement items in the determination of market value, it is found that the contribution of earnings level to explaining market value diminishes markedly in the presence of book value for electric utilities, and the contribution of earnings change to explaining returns diminishes markedly in the presence of earnings levels. Earnings level complements book value in explaining market value for manufacturing firms, while earnings change complements earnings level in explaining returns. The results further show that the market and accounting value exhibit pronounced misalignments in returns-earnings models, especially for utilities.

Valuation Approaches and Metrics

Valuation Approaches and Metrics
Author: Aswath Damodaran
Publisher: Now Publishers Inc
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1601980140

Valuation lies at the heart of much of what we do in finance, whether it is the study of market efficiency and questions about corporate governance or the comparison of different investment decision rules in capital budgeting. In this paper, we consider the theory and evidence on valuation approaches. We begin by surveying the literature on discounted cash flow valuation models, ranging from the first mentions of the dividend discount model to value stocks to the use of excess return models in more recent years. In the second part of the paper, we examine relative valuation models and, in particular, the use of multiples and comparables in valuation and evaluate whether relative valuation models yield more or less precise estimates of value than discounted cash flow models. In the final part of the paper, we set the stage for further research in valuation by noting the estimation challenges we face as companies globalize and become exposed to risk in multiple countries.

Equity Valuation

Equity Valuation
Author: Peter O. Christensen
Publisher: Now Publishers Inc
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2009
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1601982720

We review and critically examine the standard approach to equity valuation using a constant risk-adjusted cost of capital, and we develop a new valuation approach discounting risk-adjusted fundamentals, such as expected free cash flows and residual operating income, using nominal zero-coupon interest rates. We show that standard estimates of the cost of capital, based on historical stock returns, are likely to be a significantly biased measure of the firm's cost of capital, but also that the bias is almost impossible to quantify empirically. The new approach recognizes that, in practice, interest rates, expected equity returns, and inflation rates are all stochastic. We explicitly characterize the risk-adjustments to the fundamentals in an equilibrium setting. We show how the term structure of risk-adjustments depends on both the time-series properties of the free cash flows and the accounting policy. Growth, persistence, and mean reversion of residual operating income created by competition in the product markets or by the accounting policy are key determinants of the term structure of risk-adjustments.

Equity Asset Valuation

Equity Asset Valuation
Author: Jerald E. Pinto
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2015-11-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1119104262

Navigate equity investments and asset valuation with confidence Equity Asset Valuation, Third Edition blends theory and practice to paint an accurate, informative picture of the equity asset world. The most comprehensive resource on the market, this text supplements your studies for the third step in the three-level CFA certification program by integrating both accounting and finance concepts to explore a collection of valuation models and challenge you to determine which models are most appropriate for certain companies and circumstances. Detailed learning outcome statements help you navigate your way through the content, which covers a wide range of topics, including how an analyst approaches the equity valuation process, the basic DDM, the derivation of the required rate of return within the context of Markowitz and Sharpe's modern portfolio theory, and more. Equity investments encompass the buying and holding of shares of stock in the anticipation of collecting income from dividends and capital gains. Determining which shares will be profitable is key, and an array of valuation techniques is applied on today's market to decide which stocks are ripe for investment and which are best left out of your portfolio. Access the most comprehensive equity asset valuation text on the market Leverage detailed learning outcome statements that focus your attention on key concepts, and guide you in applying the material accurately and effectively Explore a wide range of essential topics, such as the free cash flow approach, valuation using Graham and Dodd type concepts of earning power, associated market multiples, and residual income models Improve your study efforts by leveraging the text during your CFA certification program prep Equity Asset Valuation, Third Edition is a comprehensive, updated text that guides you through the information you need to know to fully understand the general analysis of equity investments.

Electricity Cost Modeling Calculations

Electricity Cost Modeling Calculations
Author: Monica Greer
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2010-09-22
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0080961355

A "quick look up guide," Electricity Cost Modeling Calculations places the relevant formulae and calculations at the reader's finger tips. In this book, theories are explained in a nutshell and then the calculation is presented and solved in an illustrated, step-by-step fashion. A valuable guide for new engineers, economists (or forecasters), regulators, and policy makers who want to further develop their knowledge of best practice calculations techniques or experienced practitioners (and even managers) who desire to acquire more useful tips, this book offers expert advice for using such cost models to determine optimally-sized distribution systems and optimally-structured power supplying entities. In other words, this book provides an Everything-that-you-want-to-know-about-cost-modelling-for-electric-utilities (but were afraid to ask) approach to modelling the cost of supplying electricity. In addition, the author covers the concept of multiproduct and multistage cost functions, which are appropriate in modelling the cost of supplying electricity. The author has done all the heavy number-crunching, and provides the reader with real-world, practical examples of how to properly quantify the costs associated with providing electric service, thus increasing the accuracy of the results and support for the policy initiatives required to ensure the competitiveness of the power suppliers in this new world in which we are living. The principles contained herein could be employed to assist in the determination of the cost-minimizing amount of output (i.e., electricity), which could then be used to determine whether a merger between two entities makes sense (i.e., would increase profitability). Other examples abound: public regulatory commissions also need help in determining whether mergers (or divestitures) are welfare-enhancing or not; ratemaking policies depend on costs and properly determining the costs of supplying electric (or gas, water, and local telephone) service. Policy makers, too, can benefit in terms of optimal market structure; after all, the premise of deregulation of the electric industry was predicated on the idea that generation could be deregulated. Unfortunately, the economies of vertical integration between the generation. - A comprehensive guide to the cost issues surrounding the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity - Real-world examples that are practical, meaningful, and easy to understand - Policy implications and suggestions to aid in the formation of the optimal market structure going forward (thus increasing efficiency of electric power suppliers) - The principles contained herein could be employed to assist in the determination of the cost-minimizing amount of output

Valuation of Electric Utilities for Financial Purposes

Valuation of Electric Utilities for Financial Purposes
Author: Anonymous
Publisher: Sagwan Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2018-02-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781377307367

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.