California Resources Corp Valuation – August 2018 $CRC
Company Profile (excerpt from Reuters): California Resources Corporation, incorporated on April 23, 2014, is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company, with operating properties within the State of California. The Company produced approximately 140 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoe/d), as of December 31, 2016. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had net proved reserves of 568 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBoe). As of December 31, 2016, it drilled 42 development wells with 37 wells in the San Joaquin basin and five in the Los Angeles basin, which included over 30 steamflood and eight waterflood wells. As of December 31, 2016, the Company produced 36 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBoe), including approximately 20 BBoe in the San Joaquin basin, 11 BBoe in the Los Angeles basin, three BBoe in the Ventura basin and 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in the Sacramento basin. Its operations included 135 fields with 8,837 gross active wellbores, as of December 31, 2016. The Company sells its crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) production to marketers, California refineries and other purchasers.
Downloadable PDF version of this valuation:
ModernGraham Valuation of CRC – August 2018
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 | $1,752,820,390 | Fail | |
| 2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition | Current Ratio > 2 | 0.63 | 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 | -5866.67% | Fail | |
| 6. Moderate PEmg Ratio | PEmg < 20 | -2.20 | Fail | |
| 7. Moderate Price to Assets | PB Ratio < 2.5 OR PB*PEmg < 50 | -2.61 | 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 | 0.63 | Fail | |
| 2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition | Debt to NCA < 1.1 | -15.19 | Fail | |
| 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 | -$15.94 |
| MG Growth Estimate | -4.25% |
| MG Value | $0.00 |
| Opinion | Overvalued |
| MG Grade | D |
| MG Value based on 3% Growth | -$231.06 |
| MG Value based on 0% Growth | -$135.45 |
| Market Implied Growth Rate | -5.35% |
| Current Price | $34.99 |
| % of Intrinsic Value | N/A |
California Resources Corp does not satisfy the requirements of either the Enterprising Investor or the more conservative Defensive Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the small size, 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 level of debt relative to the current assets, and 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 $-2.94 in 2014 to an estimated $-15.94 for 2018. This level of negative earnings does not support a positive valuation.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 California Resources Corp revealed the company was trading above its Graham Number of $0. The company does not pay a dividend. Its PEmg (price over earnings per share – ModernGraham) was -2.2, which was below the industry average of 59.52, which by some methods of valuation makes it one of the most undervalued stocks in its industry. Finally, the company was trading above its Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) of $-145.77.
California Resources Corp scores quite poorly in the ModernGraham grading system, with an overall grade of D.
Stage 3: Information for Further Research
| Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) | -$145.77 |
| Graham Number | $0.00 |
| PEmg | -2.20 |
| Current Ratio | 0.63 |
| PB Ratio | -2.61 |
| Current Dividend | $0.00 |
| Dividend Yield | 0.00% |
| Number of Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth | 0 |
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Most Recent Balance Sheet Figures
| Balance Sheet Information | 6/1/2018 |
| Total Current Assets | $559,000,000 |
| Total Current Liabilities | $893,000,000 |
| Long-Term Debt | $5,075,000,000 |
| Total Assets | $6,940,000,000 |
| Intangible Assets | $0 |
| Total Liabilities | $7,585,000,000 |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) | 48,200,000 |
Earnings Per Share History
| EPS History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | -$2.23 |
| Dec2017 | -$6.26 |
| Dec2016 | $6.76 |
| Dec2015 | -$92.79 |
| Dec2014 | -$37.54 |
| Dec2013 | $22.40 |
| Dec2012 | $18.00 |
Earnings Per Share – ModernGraham History
| EPSmg History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | -$15.94 |
| Dec2017 | -$22.35 |
| Dec2016 | -$25.81 |
| Dec2015 | -$34.06 |
| Dec2014 | -$2.94 |
| Dec2013 | $12.27 |
| Dec2012 | $6.00 |
Recommended Reading:
Other ModernGraham posts about the company
California Resources Corp Valuation – Initial Coverage $CRC
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.
