Here is a list of the U.S. companies that are worth at least $300 billion today based on stock market value:
Apple $522B
Microsoft $392B
Exxon Mobil $365B
Berkshire Hathaway $357B
Facebook $336B
Amazon.com $318B
Johnson & Johnson $311B
If you are surprised to see Facebook (FB) registering as the 5th most valuable U.S. company you are not alone. Given the company's high growth rate, many investors do not mind the stock's valuation. At $117 per share, the stock trades at 33 times this year's consensus forecast of $3.54 per share of earnings. Given that Wall Street is currently estimating more than 30% earnings growth in 2017, this P/E ratio seems high, but warranted, if you are a true believer in the company's future.
I am not going to delve into the company's future growth prospects in this post, as I have been wrong about them so far. My thesis was that Facebook usage would decline over time as early adopters such as myself tired of the service and the network became overloaded with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. That has proven to be wrong. Perhaps Facebook has evolved from a cool place to connect with friends to a crucial hub to connect with family. At any rate, the stock's valuation is what has peaked my interest lately.
Facebook is one of a growing number of growth companies in the technology space that is overstating its profitability by paying its employees with stock and not treating it as an expense when speaking to Wall Street analysts. The official GAAP financial statements do disclose how much stock they dole out to employees (for instance, in 2015 the figure was a stunning $3 billion), but when investors quickly look at earnings estimates, they see the $3.54 figure for 2016 which does not include stock-based compensation.
So what happens to the stock's valuation if we treat stock compensation as if it were cash? After all, if Facebook decided to stop paying its employees with stock, we can assume they would have to replace it with cash. Below I have compiled the company's free cash flow generation since 2012 and subtracted the dollar amount of stock they have paid their employees. This simply tells us how much actual free cash flow Facebook would have generated if they compensated solely with good ol' U.S. dollars and cents.
As you can see, adjusted for stock-based compensation Facebook had free cash flow of $1.09 per share in 2015, which is about 50% less than their actual reported free cash flow ($2.13). Put another way, Facebook's employees (not their shareholders) are being paid out half of the company's profits.
From this perspective, Facebook stock looks a lot more overvalued. If you annualize the company's first quarter 2016 free cash flow adjusted for stock compensation ($0.38 per share), the company trades at a P/E of 77 ($1.53 of free cash flow). There is certainly an argument to be made that such a price resembles bubble territory. That potential problem could be rectified if the company continues to grow 30% annually for the next five years, resulting in $4.05 of "adjusted" free cash flow in 2020. But buyers of Facebook stock today at paying about 30 times that 2020 estimate right now, which is still a very high price.
Below is a summary of Facebook's stock market value relative to reported and adjusted free cash flow since 2012, as the stock has nearly quintupled in price:
How do situations like these typically play out? One of two ways. The less likely scenario is probably one where Facebook's growth hits a wall and investors quickly slash the P/E ratio they are willing to pay by 2-3 times. That would be ugly, but does not appear to be the most likely outcome given their momentum right now. The more likely scenario is the one that we usually see with very good companies that have staying power but simply have seen their stock prices get ahead of the fundamentals. In that case, the cash flow multiple comes down slowly over a period of several years, resulting in the stock price lagging the company's underlying profits.
If I had to guess, I would say the latter seems like a real possibility going forward from here. Regardless, investors should check to see how much of a hit a high-flying tech company's cash flow would take if stock compensation was factored into the equation. As Warren Buffett likes to say, "if stock-based compensation is not a real expense, I don't know what it is."
Full Disclosure: No position in Facebook at the time of writing, but positions may change at any time