Acxiom Corporation Valuation – November 2016 $ACXM
Benjamin Graham taught that Intelligent Investors must do a thorough fundamental analysis of investment opportunities to determine their intrinsic value and inherent risk.  This is best done by utilizing a systematic approach to analysis that will provide investors with a sense of how a specific company compares to another company or by reviewing the 10 Stocks for Using A Benjamin Graham Value Investing Strategy – August 2016. By using the ModernGraham method one can review a company’s historical accomplishments and determine an intrinsic value that can be compared across industries.  What follows is a stock analysis showing a specific look at how Acxiom Corporation (ACXM) fares in the ModernGraham valuation model.
Company Profile (obtained from Google Finance): Acxiom Corporation (Acxiom) is a technology and enablement services company. The Company operates through three business segments: Marketing Services, Audience Solutions, and Connectivity. The Company’s Marketing Services segment helps clients to unify data at individual level. The Audience Solutions segment helps clients to validate the accuracy of their people-based data, enhance it with additional insight and keep it up to date, enabling clients to reach desired audiences with relevant messages. The Connectivity segment activates data and makes it portable across the open marketing ecosystem. The Company serves a global client base from locations in the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The Company’s client base includes organizations in these regions across industry verticals, including financial, insurance and investment services, automotive, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, travel, entertainment, non-profit and government.
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Premium members can view a full ModernGraham valuation of the company and have access to download a PDF version of the valuation for easy reference. Recent valuations of the components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average are available for free members, including this one of Microsoft Corporation.  In addition, here is a post detailing what can be found within each individual company’s valuation.
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Downloadable PDF version of this valuation:
moderngraham-valuation-of-acxm-november-2016
Stage 1: Is this company suitable for the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor?
What kind of Intelligent Investor are you?
| Defensive Investor; must pass 6 out of the following 7 tests. | ||||
| 1. Adequate Size of the Enterprise | Market Cap > $2Bil | $2,045,397,577 | Pass | |
| 2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition | Current Ratio > 2 | 1.93 | Fail | |
| 3. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 10 years prior | Fail | ||
| 4. Dividend Record | Dividend Payments for 10 years prior | Fail | ||
| 5. Earnings Growth | Increase of 33% in EPS in past 10 years using 3 year averages at beginning and end | -61.70% | Fail | |
| 6. Moderate PEmg Ratio | PEmg < 20 | 133.54 | Fail | |
| 7. Moderate Price to Assets | PB Ratio < 2.5 OR PB*PEmg < 50 | 2.97 | Fail | |
| Enterprising Investor; must pass 4 out of the following 5 tests, or be suitable for the Defensive Investor. | ||||
| 1. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition | Current Ratio > 1.5 | 1.93 | Pass | |
| 2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition | Debt to NCA < 1.1 | 0.84 | Pass | |
| 3. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 5 years prior | Fail | ||
| 4. Dividend Record | Currently Pays Dividend | Fail | ||
| 5. Earnings Growth | EPSmg greater than 5 years ago | Fail | ||
Stage 2: Determination of Intrinsic Value
| EPSmg | $0.20 |
| MG Growth Estimate | -4.25% |
| MG Value | $0.00 |
| Opinion | Overvalued |
| MG Grade | F |
| MG Value based on 3% Growth | $2.88 |
| MG Value based on 0% Growth | $1.69 |
| Market Implied Growth Rate | 62.52% |
| Current Price | $26.53 |
| % of Intrinsic Value | N/A |
Acxiom Corporation does not satisfy the requirements of either the Enterprising Investor or the more conservative Defensive Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the low current ratio, insufficient earnings stability or growth over the last ten years, and the poor dividend history, and the high PEmg and PB ratios. The Enterprising Investor has concerns regarding the lack of earnings stability or growth over the last five years, and the lack of dividends. As a result, all value investors following the ModernGraham approach should explore other opportunities at this time or proceed cautiously with a speculative attitude.
As for a valuation, the company appears to be Overvalued after seeing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) decline from $0.52 in 2013 to an estimated $0.2 for 2017. This level of demonstrated earnings growth does not support the market’s implied estimate of 62.52% annual earnings growth over the next 7-10 years. As a result, the ModernGraham valuation model, based on the Benjamin Graham value investing formula, returns an estimate of intrinsic value below the price.
At the time of valuation, further research into Acxiom Corporation revealed the company was trading above its Graham Number of $9.18. The company does not pay a dividend. Its PEmg (price over earnings per share – ModernGraham) was 133.54, which was above the industry average of 35.13. Finally, the company was trading above its Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) of $-0.51.
Acxiom Corporation scores quite poorly in the ModernGraham grading system, with an overall grade of F.
Stage 3: Information for Further Research
| Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) | -$0.51 |
| Graham Number | $9.18 |
| PEmg | 133.54 |
| Current Ratio | 1.93 |
| PB Ratio | 2.97 |
| Current Dividend | $0.00 |
| Dividend Yield | 0.00% |
| Number of Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth | 0 |
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Useful Links:
| ModernGraham tagged articles | Morningstar |
| Google Finance | MSN Money |
| Yahoo Finance | Seeking Alpha |
| GuruFocus | SEC Filings |
Most Recent Balance Sheet Figures
| Balance Sheet Information | 9/1/2016 |
| Total Current Assets | $354,181,000 |
| Total Current Liabilities | $183,969,000 |
| Long-Term Debt | $142,341,000 |
| Total Assets | $1,102,057,000 |
| Intangible Assets | $557,580,000 |
| Total Liabilities | $394,569,000 |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) | 79,277,000 |
Earnings Per Share History
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $0.41 |
| Mar2016 | $0.09 |
| Mar2015 | -$0.14 |
| Mar2014 | $0.12 |
| Mar2013 | $0.75 |
| Mar2012 | $0.89 |
| Mar2011 | -$0.36 |
| Mar2010 | $0.56 |
| Mar2009 | $0.48 |
| Mar2008 | -$0.10 |
| Mar2007 | $0.80 |
| Mar2006 | $0.71 |
| Mar2005 | $0.74 |
| Mar2004 | $0.64 |
| Mar2003 | $0.24 |
| Mar2002 | -$0.36 |
| Mar2001 | $0.07 |
| Mar2000 | $1.00 |
| Mar1999 | -$0.19 |
| Mar1998 | $0.57 |
| Mar1997 | $0.47 |
Earnings Per Share – ModernGraham History
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $0.20 |
| Mar2016 | $0.18 |
| Mar2015 | $0.23 |
| Mar2014 | $0.41 |
| Mar2013 | $0.52 |
| Mar2012 | $0.37 |
| Mar2011 | $0.17 |
| Mar2010 | $0.45 |
| Mar2009 | $0.44 |
| Mar2008 | $0.46 |
| Mar2007 | $0.71 |
| Mar2006 | $0.57 |
| Mar2005 | $0.42 |
| Mar2004 | $0.28 |
| Mar2003 | $0.12 |
| Mar2002 | $0.11 |
| Mar2001 | $0.36 |
Recommended Reading:
Other ModernGraham posts about the company
| 5 Speculative and Overvalued Companies to Avoid – August 2015 | |
| Acxiom Corporation Analysis – Initial Coverage $ACXM |
Other ModernGraham posts about related companies
Disclaimer:
The author did not hold a position in any company mentioned in this article at the time of publication and had no intention of changing that position within the next 72 hours.  See my current holdings here.  This article is not investment advice; any reader should speak to a registered investment adviser prior to making any investment decisions.  ModernGraham is not affiliated with the company in any manner.  Please be sure to review our detailed disclaimer.
