Colgate-Palmolive: Wide Moat And A Mispriced Future

Core Insights - Colgate-Palmolive Company is often underestimated when viewed solely through its basic product offerings like toothpaste and body wash, but a deeper analysis reveals more about its business dynamics [1] Valuation Methods - Various methods exist for sell-side analysts to determine a company's fair value, including DCF, multiples approach, and reverse valuation, each with its own strengths and weaknesses [1] - The DCF method requires precise assumptions, which can lead to biases, while the multiples approach relies on the assumption that peer companies are fairly priced, a notion that is often not supported by historical data [1] - Reverse valuation starts from the market price and discount rate, working backward to uncover the free cash flow assumptions embedded in the price, providing a more straightforward assessment of market beliefs [1] Free Cash Flow Analysis - A Free Cash Flow to Equity (FCFE) model is utilized to determine what truly belongs to shareholders, calculated as Earnings + Amortization – CAPEX – average acquisition cost = FCFE, ignoring working capital and debt changes [1] - The analysis focuses on three key figures: earnings, amortization, and investments, which are essential for understanding the core business performance [1] Forecasting Approach - The H-model is applied for forecasts, which involves a 10-year two-stage growth fade, with terminal growth aligned to the risk-free rate, specifically the yield of 10-year government bonds [1] - All cash flows are discounted using the cost of equity, calculated as RFR × beta + 5% ERP, resulting in a clear and noise-free valuation of the business [1]