Microsoft Corporation ($MSFT): Do Quant Investors Feel the 18.660332 PCF Is Enough? - Augusta Review

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has a Price to Cash Flow ratio of 18.660332, and a current Price to Earnings ratio of 25.986226

The price-to-cash flow ratio measures the current price of the company’s stock relative to the amount of cash generated by the company. The price-to-cash flow multiple is primarily used in the comparable analysis method of stock valuation.

Investors may need to sometimes be reminded of the risks involved with stock market investing. Figuring out the individual capacity for risk may involve gauging the possible impact that real losses can have not only on the stock portfolio, but the investor’s mindset as well. Preparing for risk before jumping into the market can help put things in perspective. Investors who wait until holdings suddenly start dropping may be in for quite a shock when things go haywire. Many risk related errors can be addressed with proper calculations up front. Being aware of risk and managing the portfolio accordingly can be a big factor in the long-standing success of the investor.

The Shareholder Yield is a way that investors can see how much money shareholders are receiving from a company through a combination of dividends, share repurchases and debt reduction. The Shareholder Yield of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is 0.018565. This percentage is calculated by adding the dividend yield plus the percentage of shares repurchased. Dividends are a common way that companies distribute cash to their shareholders. Similarly, cash repurchases and a reduction of debt can increase the shareholder value, too.

NCAV-to-Market

Benjamin Graham, professor and founder of value investing principles, was one of the first to consistently screen the market looking for bargain companies based on value factors. He didn’t have databases such as ValueSignals at his disposal, but used people like his apprentice Warren Buffet to fill out stock sheets with the most important data.

Graham was always on the watch for firms that were so discounted, that if the company went into liquidation, the proceeds of the assets would still return a profit.

The ratio he used to identify these companies was Net Current Asset Value or NCAV. This ratio is much more stringent compared to book value (total assets – total liabilities) and is calculated as follows:

NCAV = Current Assets – Total Liabilities
Current Assets = Cash & ST Investments + Inventories + Accounts Receivable

This strategy was very successful during the years after Graham published it in his book ‘Security analysis’ in 1934 and also in more recent studies it has proven to provide superior results. A study done by the State University of New York to prove the effectiveness of this strategy showed that from the period of 1970 to 1983 an investor could have earned an average return of 29.4%, by purchasing stocks that fulfilled Graham’s requirement and holding them for one year. Nowadays it’s very difficult to find companies that meet Graham’s criteria. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has an NCAV to Market value of -0.011452.

Return on Assets

There are many different tools to determine whether a company is profitable or not. One of the most popular ratios is the “Return on Assets” (aka ROA). This score indicates how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. The Return on Assets for Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is 0.131018. This number is calculated by dividing net income after tax by the company’s total assets. A company that manages their assets well will have a higher return, while a company that manages their assets poorly will have a lower return.

The M-Score, conceived by accounting professor Messod Beneish, is a model for detecting whether a company has manipulated their earnings numbers or not. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has an M-Score of -2.431582. The M-Score is based on 8 different variables: Days’ sales in receivables index, Gross Margin Index, Asset Quality Index, Sales Growth Index, Depreciation Index, Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index, Leverage Index and Total Accruals to Total Assets. A score higher than -1.78 is an indicator that the company might be manipulating their numbers.

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is 0.744265. The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not. It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits. The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital. The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets. Similarly, the Return on Invested Capital Quality ratio is a tool in evaluating the quality of a company’s ROIC over the course of five years. The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets). The ROIC 5 year average of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is 0.272328.

Successful investors are typically well aware of portfolio holdings at any given time. They tend to regularly review the portfolio to make sure that the combination of stocks is in line with goals and contributing to the outlined strategy. There may be times when everything seems to be in order after a thorough portfolio review. Other times, there may be a few changes that can be made. Maybe there are one or two names that have been over performing providing a big boost to the portfolio. On the other end, there could be a few stocks that are impacting the portfolio in a negative way and they may need to be addressed. Although constant portfolio monitoring may not be overly necessary for longer-term investors, regular portfolio examination is generally considered to be a good idea.

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