
A Discounted Cash Flow, or DCF, model estimates what a business might be worth today by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting those back to a present value using a required return.
For Cummins, the model used is a 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity approach, based on cash flow projections in $. The latest twelve month free cash flow is about $2.41b. Analyst estimates are available for several years. Simply Wall St extends these to a ten year path, with projected free cash flow of $4.91b in 2030.
When all of those projected cash flows are discounted back and combined, the model arrives at an estimated intrinsic value of about $624.31 per share. Compared with the recent share price of $535.71, this points to an implied discount of roughly 14.2%, which indicates that the shares are priced below this DCF estimate.
Result: UNDERVALUED
Our Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis suggests Cummins is undervalued by 14.2%. Track this in your watchlist or portfolio, or discover 48 more high quality undervalued stocks.
For a profitable business like Cummins, the P/E ratio is a useful way to relate what you pay per share to the company’s current earnings. It gives you a quick sense of how many dollars investors are paying for each dollar of profit today.
What counts as a "normal" P/E depends on how the market views a company’s growth outlook and risk profile. Higher expected growth or lower perceived risk can support a higher P/E, while lower growth or higher risk usually points to a lower P/E.
Cummins currently trades on a P/E of 26.0x, which is close to the Machinery industry average of 26.0x and a little below the peer group average of 27.9x. Simply Wall St also calculates a proprietary Fair Ratio for Cummins of 43.1x. This Fair Ratio is an estimate of the P/E that might be reasonable given factors such as earnings growth, industry, profit margins, market capitalization and company specific risks.
Because the Fair Ratio folds in these extra elements, it can be more informative than a simple comparison with peers or the broad industry. Here, Cummins’ current P/E of 26.0x sits below the Fair Ratio of 43.1x. This points to the shares trading below that Fair Ratio based assessment.
Result: UNDERVALUED
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Earlier we mentioned that there is an even better way to understand valuation. On Simply Wall St you can use Narratives, where you tell a simple story about Cummins, link that story to concrete forecasts for revenue, earnings, margins and a fair value, then see it all compared with the current price inside the Community page. Each Narrative updates automatically when new news or earnings arrive. You can already see how different that story can be in practice, from one Cummins Narrative that sets fair value at about US$303.64 per share to another that puts it closer to US$703. This gives you a clear side by side view of how different assumptions about data center demand, truck cycles or profit margins translate into very different estimates of what the shares might be worth.
For Cummins however, we will make it really easy for you with previews of two leading Cummins Narratives:
These snapshots do not tell you which view is right. They simply show how different assumptions translate into very different fair values so you can decide which story feels closer to your own expectations.
Fair value: US$663.12
Implied discount to this fair value: 19.2% below the narrative fair value, based on the recent price of US$535.71
Revenue growth used in this narrative: 11.81%
Fair value: US$303.64
Implied premium to this fair value: 76.4% above the narrative fair value, based on the recent price of US$535.71
Revenue growth used in this narrative: 3.30% annual revenue decline assumption
Taken together, these Narratives bracket a wide valuation range, from about US$304 to US$663 per share. That gap reflects different views on trucks, data center power demand, Accelera and how much investors might eventually pay for Cummins earnings.
If you want to move beyond a single headline number and stress test your own view, the Community Narratives on Simply Wall St let you compare these cases side by side, or even build your own version around the assumptions you find most reasonable.
Do you think there's more to the story for Cummins? Head over to our Community to see what others are saying!
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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