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Utilities And Other Industries: Capital Expenditures Vs. Depreciation

It is very common among new investors to assume that depreciation equals the capital expenditures required to keep the company in place. Free cash flow is usually calculated by subtracting the full value of the capital expenditures. This can be wildly inaccurate. The utilities industry has capital expenditures and depreciation that are very different. If all capital expenditures by utilities were maintenance, the industry would be bankrupt very quickly. It is important to understand what, where, how, and why the company you are researching is spending money on capital expenditures in order to value it. Capital expenditures (capex) include a wide variety of things companies spend money on. Capex can include buying land, fixing machinery, building a new plant, upgrading the power system, or many other items. Some of these items are to reduce expenses, increase production, or improve the production process. These are called growth capital expenditures because they improve the company above its performance prior to spending them. Other capital expenditures that keep the company at its current steady state are called maintenance capital expenditures. Most companies spend some capex in both the growth and maintenance bucket so it is important to determine how much of each in order to value the company. One of the industries where this is glaringly obvious is the utility industry. Utilities routinely spend lots of money to support new infrastructure as growth capex. They also spend money on maintenance capital expenditures to ensure their existing operations are in good shape and highly reliable. A high level summary of net income, depreciation, and capital expenditures for some of the major utility companies is shown in the following table. Utility Company 2013 Net Income (millions) 2013 Depreciation (millions) 2013 Capex (millions) Capex minus Depreciation (millions) Capex divided by Depreciation Dominion Resources (NYSE: D ) 1,697 1,390 4,104 2,714 2.95x NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE ) 1,908 2,163 3,228 1,065 1.49x Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK ) 2,665 3,229 5,526 2,297 1.71x Exelon Corp (NYSE: EXC ) 1,719 3,779 5,395 1,616 1.43x Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) 1,644 2,298 5,463 3,165 2.38x As you can see from the table, the capital expenditures of the utility companies exceeds the depreciation charge, typically by several billion dollars for companies this size. If all of these capital expenditures were maintenance capital expenditures, the market would have to be completely insane to assign the earnings multiples shown in the following table. Utility Company Current Price/2013 Earnings Dominion Resources 25x NextEra Energy 27x Duke Energy 23x Exelon Corp 19x Southern Company 28x Average 24x Earnings multiples this high are usually reserved for high growth companies. Many of the new projects these utility companies are investing in will earn a regulated rate of return between 8% and 12% which doesn’t sound like a high growth company. If anything, this is close to an average company’s rate of return and generally average companies trade closer to 15x earnings. Depreciation is a noncash expense that reduces the net income reported. When valuing companies, it is generally advisable to add back depreciation to net income and then subtract maintenance capital expenditures to get a truer view of profit. In the case of utility companies, they generally spend less money on maintenance capital expenditures than they expense on their income statement as depreciation. This deflates their net income number which makes their price/earnings ratios look higher. The following table shows the capex numbers in relation to the net income numbers for the utility companies. Utility Company 2013 Net Income (millions) 2013 Capex (millions) Capex divided by Net Income Dominion Resources 1,697 4,104 2.42x NextEra Energy 1,908 3,228 1.69x Duke Energy 2,665 5,526 2.07x Exelon Corp 1,719 5,395 3.14x Southern Company 1,710 5,463 3.19x By looking at the capex divided by net income column it is very obvious that most of the capex must be growth capex. If most of the capex was maintenance capex and the cost of maintenance was 1.69x to 3.19x the amount of profit each company was making, they would be out of business very quickly. In addition, one of the quirks about the utility industry is that lots of its “maintenance capex” still plays into the regulatory assets that allow future rates to be raised to earn the cost of investment plus a predetermined return on equity. An easier way to track maintenance capex for utility companies is to read their filings and see how much and when the regulatory bodies approve expenditures to be counted towards the regulated rate of return. However, for companies that aren’t in the regulated utility industry, it can be more difficult to determine much of capex was maintenance capex. In general, it is a good idea to use the laws of large numbers when determining maintenance capex for companies that don’t specifically break it out. For example there could be two oil companies. Company A spent an average of $30 million on capex for each of the last few years and kept production flat. Company B spent an average of $30 million on capex for each of the last few years and production grew by 40%. Therefore it stands to reason that Company B was likely spending a much higher percentage of their capex on growth. Some companies half break it out by giving you a list of the major items they spent capex on and you can place each in the growth or maintenance bucket depending on the type. Maintenance capex should generally be determined over several years because things don’t break at the same frequency every year. This is more important for valuing small companies because larger companies generally spend similar amounts of maintenance capex every year. Another common capex that seems to be often included as an expense to reduce a company’s profit is when they buy or construct a new building for their corporate headquarters. This is actually growth capex because it will reduce future rent expense by the company (i.e. increase their profit) and it will appreciate over time. These are the reasons and some advice about making sure to understand the company’s capital expenditures when trying to value a company. It is especially important in the utility industry but even in other industries your valuations could be dramatically off without understanding where and why the company is spending money.

Applying Graham’s Stock Selection Criteria To Dow Jones Utilities

Summary Ben Graham’s stock selection criteria are tried and true for the defensive investor. Public utilities, represented by the Dow Jones Utility Average (DJUA), are no longer sound investments for the defensive investor today. Great variations are found among the 15 DJUA components, allowing an enterprising investor to select stocks higher in both quality and quantity than the average. In a previous article , we revisited Benjamin Graham’s stock selection criteria, applied them to the thirty issues in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and found the DJIA unsatisfactory, mostly failing the valuation criteria. Below are Graham’s 7 stock selection criteria for the defensive investor: Quality 1. Adequate Size of the Enterprise . Graham suggested at least $100 million of annual sales for an industrial company, and at least $50 million of assets for a public utility. These 1973 figures can be adjusted for inflation to roughly $500 million of annual sales and $250 million of assets today (2014). Market capitalization, used by many as a proxy for size, confuses market valuation with business fundamentals. While the two are very much correlated, they may widely diverge at times, and paying exorbitant price for a small business is the exact opposite of defensive investing. 2. A Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition . Current ratio should be at least 2:1 for industrial companies; debt to equity should be no more than 2:1 for public utilities. 3. Earnings Stability . Some earnings in each of past ten years. 4. Dividend Record . Uninterrupted payments for at least the past 20 years. 5. Earnings Growth . A minimum of at least one-third in per-share earnings in the past ten years using three year averages at the beginning and the end. Multi-year average earnings smooth out cyclical earning variations and better reflect a company’s true earning potential. This corresponds to 2.9% compound annual growth, a relatively low hurdle. Quantity 6. Moderate Price/Earnings Ratio . Current price should be no more than 15 times average earnings of the past three years. Again, ignore single year earnings. P/E calculated using trailing twelve month earnings or predicted earnings for the next 12 months are unreliable. 7. Moderate Ratio of Price to Assets . Current price should be no more than 1.5 times the book value last reported. Alternatively, the product of P/E and P/B should not exceed 22.5. A stock meeting this alternative criteria may be considered as fulfilling both quantity criteria and admitted for investment. Application of Graham’s Criteria to the DJUA in 2014 We will now turn our attention to the public utilities, specifically the 15 prominent issues in the Dow Jones Utility Average (DJUA), to see how many, if any, meet these stringent criteria for the defensive investor. As a frame of reference, when Graham did his analysis for the DJUA in 1971, he found all fifteen issues meeting the criteria. In his own words: In comparison with prominent industrial companies as represented by the DJIA, [the DJUA] offered almost as good a record of past growth, plus smaller fluctuations in the annual figures–both at a lower price in relation to earnings and assets. Can the same be said regarding the DJUA today? The table below lists the 15 DJUA stocks with the Graham criteria (red means it failed; green means it passed). These data are obtainable from SEC filings here . Stock Ticker Price Assets Debt/equity Earnings stability? Yrs of Uninterrupted Dividends 2002-2004 Avg Earnings 2011-2013 Avg Earnings Earnings Growth Price to Earnings Book value Price to Book (P/E)*(P/B) # Criteria Met Duke Energy DUK 80.62 119656 1.00 Yes 29 0.43 3.55 725.58% 22.71 58.57 1.38 31.26 6 Exelon EXC 35.48 85264 0.95 Yes 34 2.13 2.39 12.21% 14.85 27.45 1.29 19.19 6 Southern SO 47.76 67654 1.19 Yes 32 1.98 2.36 19.19% 20.24 22.07 2.16 43.79 4 American Electric Power AEP 57.83 57925 1.15 Yes 44 0.49 3.22 557.14% 17.96 34.48 1.68 30.12 5 PG&E PCG 51.94 57884 0.93 Yes 10 3.11 1.95 -37.30% 26.64 33.25 1.56 41.61 3 NextEra Energy NEE 101.08 53383 1.54 Yes 31 0.05 4.54 8980.00% 22.26 43.10 2.35 52.22 5 Dominion Resources D 71.79 52279 2.15 Yes 30 3.20 2.69 -15.94% 26.69 19.82 3.62 96.67 3 FirstEnergy FE 37.19 51224 1.70 Yes 16 1.98 1.66 -16.16% 22.40 30.19 1.23 27.60 4 Edison International EIX 63.18 49475 1.14 No 11 2.85 0.70 -75.44% 90.26 32.95 1.92 173.06 2 Consolidated Edison ED 64.14 40667 0.99 Yes 44 2.59 3.68 42.08% 17.43 43.39 1.48 25.76 6 AES AES 12.79 38983 2.76 No 2 (2.23) (0.33) NM NM 6.14 2.08 NM 1 Public Service Enterprise PEG 40.46 34147 0.74 Yes 107 1.09 2.62 140.37% 15.44 23.89 1.69 26.15 5 NiSource NI 39.10 23710 1.62 Yes 28 1.24 1.37 10.48% 28.54 19.04 2.05 58.61 4 CenterPoint Energy CNP 21.71 22048 1.92 No 44 (4.70) 1.62 NM 13.40 10.41 2.09 27.95 4 Amertican Water Works AWK 51.42 15716 1.20 No 6 1.10 1.94 76.36% 26.51 27.44 1.87 49.67 3 DJUA 51334 1.40 Yes 31 19.19% 26.09 1.90 50.26 4 Unfortunately, the DJUA has changed for the worse since 1971. Not even one of the 15 issues meet all 7 criteria today. It is poorer in both quality and quantity compared to 1971, when utility stocks were inviting to the defensive investor. Salient Aspects of the DJUA Today 1. Size is adequate , with all fifteen issues easily surpassing the minimum $250 million of assets stipulated. 2. Financial condition is adequate in the aggregate, with an average debt to equity ratio of 1.4 for the DJUA, and 13 out of 15 issues meeting the criteria of debt to equity less than 2:1. 3. Earning stability is satisfactory in the aggregate , but 4 out of these 15 issues failed this criteria, a worse showing compared to the DJIA, where only 1 out of 30 issues failed. This is both surprising and alarming, suggesting that utilities are no longer as stable or defensive as they once were. 4. Most of the issues have at least 20 year history of uninterrupted dividends , with an average of 31 for the DJUA. Although satisfactory, the dividend history for the DJUA pales compared to the DJIA, which boasts an average of 67 years of uninterrupted dividends. 5. Earnings growth is very poor . The median earnings for the DJUA is only 19% over the past decade, or 1.77% compounded annually, which does not even keep up with inflation. Only 6, or fewer than half, out of 15 issues met the threshold of at least one-third of per-share earnings over ten years. 6. Ratio of price to three-year average earnings was 26.31 for the DJUA today, which is 75% greater than the maximum 15 required. The DJUA today is not only significantly more amply valued compared to its past, but even more overvalued than the DJIA today, which has a ratio of price to three-year average earnings around 20. 7. Ratio of price to net asset value was 1.91 for the DJUA today, which is 27% greater than the maximum 1.5 required. This is significantly more expensive compared to a ratio of 1.21 for the DJUA in 1971, but more favorable compared to the corresponding figure of 4.38 for the DJIA today. That DJIA commands a higher price relative to asset than the DJUA is by no means surprising, since the industrials tend to have more intangible assets such as brand name, patents, franchises, and trade secrets, which we generally do not find in public utilities. Not all 15 DJUA Issues Are Created Equal It is important to note that although none of the 15 DJUA issues met criteria, significant variations in quality and quantity are detected among the issues. Duke Energy, American Electric Power, NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison, and Public Service Enterprise Group are five high quality issues meeting all five quality criteria, but failing one or both of the quantity criteria. These would be good stocks to buy after a correction. Stock Ticker Price D/E P/E Book value P/B (P/E)*(P/B) ROE Yield Duke Energy DUK 80.62 1.00 22.71 58.57 1.38 31.26 6.06% 3.94% American Electric Power AEP 57.83 1.15 14.96 34.48 1.68 25.09 11.21% 3.67% NextEra Energy NEE 101.08 1.54 22.26 43.10 2.35 52.21 10.54% 2.87% Consolidated Edison ED 64.14 0.99 17.43 43.39 1.48 25.77 8.48% 3.93% Public Service Enterprise PEG 40.46 0.74 15.44 23.89 1.69 26.15 10.97% 3.66% Average 1.08 18.56 40.69 1.71 32.09 9.45% 3.61% Interestingly, despite these five issues possessing better quality than the composite DJUA, they sell at lower prices relative to earnings and assets compared to the DJUA, with P/E only 71% and P/B only 90% of the composite index. Debt to equity is only 1.08, which is only 77% of the DJUA. Enterprising investors do not have to “pay up” for quality in this peculiar case, and can obtain higher quality utility stocks with lower risk at better prices relative to earnings and assets. Return on equity for this group is 9.45%, not bad given the regulatory environment of public utilities. Exelon also stands out, meeting both quantity criteria and 4 out of 5 quality criteria, failing only the earning growth criterion. The enterprising investor may considering buying if he deems the recent low earnings temporary and trusts the company to turn around eventually, while getting paid a 3.5% dividend to wait it out. On the other hand, AES is demonstrably an inferior issue compared to the average DJUA stock. It has significantly higher debt, multiple years of earnings deficits within the past decade, but nevertheless selling at higher price in relation to its net asset value. Edison International and American Water Works are also inferior issues to be avoided for similar reasons. Conclusion As we have seen, utility stocks, as represented by the DJUA, are unattractive investment options for the defensive investor today. Compared to 1971, utility companies have become somewhat more aggressive, but in vain, evidenced by poorer ten year earnings growth. The moat once enjoyed by regulated public utilities appears to have eroded. Despite the poor showing, the market amply values utility stocks today, much more so compared to 1971, and, in terms of price in relation to earnings. even more so than the DJIA today. This overvaluation is likely the result of the multi-decade low interest rate environment we are in today, since public utilities, with their higher dividend yields and generally higher debt on the balance sheet, are more bond-like compared to industrial issues. At the current extremely low levels, interest rate have nowhere to go but up, which will not hurt bonds, as I wrote in a previous article , but also bond-like investments like public utilities. The defensive investor is well advised to avoid the DJUA for now and wait for a more favorable entry point when interest rates revert to the mean.