The stock of Harvard Bioscience (NAS:HBIO, 30-year Financials) is believed to be significantly overvalued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $6.93 per share and the market cap of $276.7 million, Harvard Bioscience stock shows every sign of being significantly overvalued. GF Value for Harvard Bioscience is shown in the chart below.
Because Harvard Bioscience is significantly overvalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be much lower than its future business growth, which averaged 5.9% over the past five years.
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Investing in companies with poor financial strength has a higher risk of permanent loss of capital. Thus, it is important to carefully review the financial strength of a company before deciding whether to buy its stock. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage is a great starting point for understanding the financial strength of a company. Harvard Bioscience has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.14, which is in the bottom 10% of the companies in the industry of Medical Devices & Instruments. GuruFocus ranks the overall financial strength of Harvard Bioscience at 4 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Harvard Bioscience is poor. This is the debt and cash of Harvard Bioscience over the past years:
It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Harvard Bioscience has been profitable 3 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $102.1 million and loss of $0.21 a share. Its operating margin is 0.22%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in the industry of Medical Devices & Instruments. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Harvard Bioscience at 3 out of 10, which indicates poor profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Harvard Bioscience over the past years:
Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Harvard Bioscience's 3-year average revenue growth rate is in the middle range of the companies in the industry of Medical Devices & Instruments. Harvard Bioscience's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 35.4%, which ranks better than 74% of the companies in the industry of Medical Devices & Instruments.
One can also evaluate a company's profitability by comparing its return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the return on invested capital exceeds the weighted average cost of capital, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. During the past 12 months, Harvard Bioscience's ROIC is 0.17 while its WACC came in at 10.78. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Harvard Bioscience is shown below:
In conclusion, Harvard Bioscience (NAS:HBIO, 30-year Financials) stock appears to be significantly overvalued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is poor. Its growth ranks better than 74% of the companies in the industry of Medical Devices & Instruments. To learn more about Harvard Bioscience stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.
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