UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Mar ch 13, 2009 INVESTMENT GROUP Consume r Goods POLO RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION HOLD Stock Data Price (52 weeks) Symbol/Exchange Beta Shares Outstanding Average daily volume (3 month average) Current market cap Current Price Dividend Dividend Yield Valuation (per share) DCF Analysis Comparables Analysis Current Price Weighted Implied Price $31.22-$82.02 RL/NYSE 1.53 99,100 2,044,260 $3,450,662 $34.82 $.20 .60% $29.74 $33.86 $35.96 $31.80 Summary Financials Revenue Income 2009 Trailing 12 Months (Thousands) 5,035,400 465,000 BUSINESS OVERVIEW Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE—RL), originally Ralph Lifshitz, was founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967. The Company began by selling creatively designed neckties. The popularity of the Polo label led to the opening of the company’s first boutique located in Bloomingdales during 1969. Currently, the company is involved in the design, marketing, and distribution of upscale lifestyle products for both men and women. Polo Ralph Lauren owns rights to numerous trademarks, including the “famous polo player astride a horse.” The Company was incorporated in Delaware during the summer of 1997. As of March 29, 2008, Ralph Lauren employed 11,700 persons domestically and 3,300 persons in foreign countries. In the summer of 2007, the company approved a $250 million stock buyback program. In addition to the $250 million buyback, they expanded their buyback program by an additional $250 million in May 2008. Covering Analyst: Thomas S. Donohue Email: [email protected] The University of Oregon Investment Group (UOIG) is a student run organization whose purpose is strictly educational. Member students are not certified or licensed to give investment advice or analyze securities, nor do they purport to be. Members of UOIG may have clerked, interned or held various employment positions with firms held in UOIG’s porfolio. In addition, members of UOIG may attempt to obtain employment positions with firms held in UOIG’s portfolio. Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup The Company operates both domestically and internationally and generates revenue from three distinct but integrated business segments. These segments are Wholesale, Retail, and Licensing. Wholesale Segment The wholesale segment derives revenue from the sales of products to upscale and mid-tier department and specialty stores in both domestic and international markets. At the end of the Company’s 2008 fiscal year, Polo Ralph Lauren products were sold through approximately 10, 806 doors. 8,611 of these doors are located throughout the United States and Canada, 2,075 doors throughout Europe, and 120 doors in Japan. It is worthy to note that products sold in the Asia/Pacific Region are distributed by licensing partners and these sales are accounted for in the Licensing Segment. During 2008, the Company invested nearly forty-nine million dollars in shop-within-shops. These shop-within-shops are specially allocated floor spaces in stores that are entirely devoted to Polo Ralph Lauren products. Macy’s Inc. and Dillard Department Stores Inc. are two of Polo Ralph Lauren’s biggest wholesale customers accounting for 24% and 12% of sales, respectively. Historically, the wholesale segment has been the Company’s largest source of revenues. In 2008, the segment accounted for 56.5% of total revenues. In addition, the segment was responsible for 65.3 % of operating income. Retail Segment As of March 29, 2008, the Company’s retail segment was comprised of 155 retail stores and 158 factory stores worldwide. The Company is looking to expand the retail store base as a primary long-term goal. Eight retail stores were opened in FY2008, and the company is anticipating opening anywhere between 10-15 retail stores during FY2009. The retail stores are intended to reinforce the Company’s luxury image and feature exclusive product lines that are not always distributed to wholesalers. The Company generally leases their stores for periods ranging between five and ten years, often with renewal options. Polo Ralph Lauren also sells products online via http://RalphLauren.com. The website offers customers access to the entire product portfolio of Polo Ralph Lauren apparel, accessories, and home products. During 2008, the website averaged 2.6 million visitors a month. In addition, the website resulted in 1.3 million customers throughout FY2008. Historically, the retail segment has been the Company’s second largest source of revenues. In 2008, the segment accounted for 39.2% of total revenues and 23.6% of operating income. The Company hopes to expand their retail segment by opening more stores every year, but it is unlikely that the retail segment will ever become the company’s premier revenue source. Licensing Segment Polo Ralph Lauren licensing partners pay royalties based upon sales of Polo Ralph Lauren products. In general, partners are subject to a minimum royalty fee for the right to use Polo Ralph Lauren trademarks and design services. Licenses usually are subject to three to five year terms, and Polo Ralph Lauren may grant the licensee conditional renewal options. Polo Ralph Lauren works closely with their licensing partners to insure that the company can maintain a unified and consistent brand image. Typical qualities that Polo Ralph Lauren looks for in licensing partners are (1) leaders in respective markets, (2) contribute the majority of the product development costs, (3) provide the operational infrastructure that is required to support the business, and (4) own the inventory. Approximately 16% of licensing revenue for FY2008 can be attributed to two partners: WestPoint Home, Inc. (8%) and Peerless, Inc. (8%). The licensing Segment is the Company’s smallest source of revenues. In 2008, the segment accounted for only 4.3% of total revenues and only 11.2% of operating income. The Company is looking to expand their wholesale and retail segments by assuming direct control of these segments from their licensing partners so it is likely that the licensing segment will become insignificant in comparison two the other two business segments. 2 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup Product Offering One of Polo Ralph Lauren’s strengths is their diversified product offering. This diversification has allowed Polo Ralph Lauren to become one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. The Company offers four product categories: Apparel, Accessories, Home, and Fragrance. Apparel-- These products comprise an extensive collection of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing. The Company offers tailored made-to-measure suits, sophisticated sportswear, sports coats, dress pants, tuxedos, outerwear, rental formalwear, silhouettes, hooded sweatshirts, blue jeans, leather jackets, and Western shirts. Apparel is the Company’s most successful product category in terms of sales volume. Accessories-- Polo Ralph Lauren offers handbags, scarves, belts, sunglasses, jewelry, footwear, neckties, leather goods, luggage, cuff links, and other formal wear accents. The Company is looking to expand revenue growth by expanding the popularity of their handbags, especially in Japan. Home-- Home products include bedding, bath, furniture, fabric, wallpaper, paint, tabletop, and giftware items. Fragrance-- Polo Ralph Lauren introduced their fragrance brand, Lauren for women and Polo for men, in 1978. Currently, Polo Ralph Lauren offers 18 additional fragrances. Marketing and Advertising Polo Ralph Lauren manages their marketing on a centralized basis worldwide to ensure consistency of quality and presentation. Advertisements are intended to portray a lifestyle rather than a specific product, and most advertisements feature numerous Polo Ralph Lauren products. The Company’s primary medium of advertisement is print with major campaigns during the fall and spring retail seasons. The Company also advertises select product categories through television and outdoor media. The Company expensed approximately $188 million in advertising their products during FY20008, which was an increase of approximately 4% from FY2007. Marketing is a critical means for the company to establish themselves over their competition. Sourcing, Production, and Quality The Company does not own or operate any of it’s own production facilities. Instead, they contract with over 400 different manufactures worldwide to produce their products. In FY2008, less than 2% (by dollar volume) of Polo Ralph Lauren products were produced in the United States. The other 98% was produced primarily in Asia, Europe, and South America. The two manufactures that contribute for the most total production operate in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. The outsource of production has helped the Company control and maintain their cost of goods sold and maintain a fairly constant gross profit margin. The Company’s wholesale revenue segment must commit to manufacture the vast majority of their products before they receive an official customer order, which means the Company has 3 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup to correctly estimate their product demand. The Company recently estimated demand incorrectly and was left with an influx of inventory larger than usual. FISCAL Y EAR 2008 Fiscal year 2008 was both a busy and successful year for Polo Ralph Lauren as the Company posted strong sales and celebrated their forty-first anniversary and tenth year as a publicly traded company. The Company expanded their Black Label Brand by providing a greater offering of men’s and women’s sportswear and also assumed direct control of their small leather goods products. In addition, the company successfully launched American Living at 575 JC Penney stores. The launch of American Living will give the opportunity to present their products to a larger audience, thus creating the opportunity for more sales. The biggest news was the completion of transactions that allowed the Company to acquire control of certain Japanese businesses that were formerly conducted under licensed agreements. The acquisition was funded with the Company’s available cash and a one-year term loan of 20.5 billion yen. The term loan was repaid by its maturity date. The Company views this as a critical step in diversifying their geographic revenue mix. The Company’s goal is to have the United States, Europe, and Asia to each represent one-third of their revenues. However, it is unlikely that this goal will be achieved in the near future because of the dramatically weakened global economy. Thus, it is likely that the United States will continue to attribute a majority of the company’s sales. RECENT NEWS 02/17/09—Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation announced that it had reached an agreement to assume direct control of its wholesale and retail distribution in South East Asia from its licensee partner Dickson Concepts International Limited. Dickson will continue to operate as the company’s licensee partner until January 1, 2010. The South East Asia region is defined by the following countries: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Robert Farah, Chief Operating Officer, said “We are grateful to Dickson Concepts for enabling us to establish Polo Ralph Lauren as a premier lifestyle brand throughout the region over the last two decades, and we look forward to working closely with them on a smooth transition.” 02/05/09—Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation released their third quarter earnings for 2009 on Feb. 5th. The company’s third quarter fiscal net income fell by 6.6%. The company cut their fiscal year outlook based on their third quarter results. Kerry E Grace cited that, “Clothing retailers, especially makers of luxury brands, have been suffering as consumers cut back their discretionary purchases amid the global recession.” The company announced that they now expect profits of $3.85-$4.00 per share, which is down from $4.00-$4.10 per share. INDUSTRY Governments around the world have used virtually every weapon at their disposal to combat the economic crisis, with economic stimulus packages and cuts in interest rates aimed at rousing the financial markets while encouraging consumer spending. Despite these unprecedented efforts, it will take time for consumers to feel the benefits of the measures and start shopping/spending in any meaningful way. This can be testified to be true by one of the most dismal holiday shopping seasons for retailers in decades, which is often the strongest sales seasons for retailers. In addition, these efforts have done little in the short run to stimulate the economy as unemployment in the United States rose to 8.1% this month. The loss of jobs and the fear of job loss is restricting consumer spending even more. Inflation is no longer artificially propping up consumer spending figures, which is one of the reasons as to why retail sales have lost their strong numbers. Sales figures are now based upon the value of goods sold, instead of the volume, which will equate to a sharp decline in retail sales. According to a recent retail outlook report from Fitch Ratings Inc., personal expenditures are projected to falls over 1.6% in 2009. Clothing sales fell 2.6% in December, often one of the biggest spending months for consumers. This cut in personal expenditures does not appear to be in the best interest of mid-tier to high-end retailers. However, it is more favorable for large value based retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Kohl’s. Despite the favorability, Kohl’s still experienced sales slipping by 13.4% at the beginning of 2009. Broadly speaking, Polo Ralph Lauren operates under the Consumer Discretionary sector. This sector accounts for approximately 8.9% of the total S&P1500. Historically, this sector has accounted for 8%-12%, so this year the sector is on the low side. As of November 7, 2008 the sector had outperformed the market with a loss of 32% compared with the 34% market loss. However, analysts expect the sector to begin to under perform throughout 2009. The probability of 4 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup underperformance is attributed to the fact that the sector contains diverse industries such as automakers, homebuilders, media, and retail. It is important to note that the economy has weakened since November, and with each month consumers may be inclined to spend less money on discretionary items. Centrally, Polo Ralph Lauren operates in the textile- apparel/clothing industry. This industry, like much of the consumer goods sector, has been and will likely continue to be constrained by significant cuts in consumer spending for the foreseeable future. The cuts have been fueled by high levels of consumer debt, rising costs of health care, depressed conditions in the housing market, rising unemployment levels, and extremely low consumer confidence levels. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that consumer spending was down .2% in December, which was the fifth consecutive monthly drop. It is likely that Polo Ralph Lauren and similar companies will feel the cuts in spending, as luxury goods are often the most expendable to consumers. The depressed economic times have been an attributing factor as to why some large retailers are filing for bankruptcy, such as Sharper Image, Linen’s & Things, Bombay Co., and Lillian Vernon. Despite the tough year for wholesalers and retailers, online sales are and should continue to be relatively healthy. Online shopping is convenient for consumers because it can be done without leaving the home. Analysts at Emarketer projected that online retail sales will be $136.8 billion for 2008, which is an increase of 7.2% from 2007. However, this is also a decrease of 19.8% from 2006-2007. Analysts are predicting only a 4.1% growth rate in online sales in 2009. This low growth rate will likely mean that Polo Ralph Lauren will not be able to grow their online sales as quickly as the company had intended. Polo Ralph Lauren competes with companies primarily on the basis of responding to changes in consumer preferences, maintaining brand recognition, ensuring retail floor space, and the creation of value propositions for customers. In order to drive growth many companies have pursued global expansion, brand acquisitions, emphasis on the Internet as a sales medium, aggressive advertisement campaigns, and cost reduction through supply chain improvements. Polo Ralph Lauren has exercised a number of these strategies, in order to continue to be a strong player in the industry. I believe that for a company to be a sound investment that the company must possess certain qualities that give the company a clear advantage over its competition. Ralph Lauren does have qualities that give the company an advantage over its competition. For instance, the company has strong brand recognition, significant global reach, and adequate floor space. These qualities helped the company be very profitable during the various favorable economic times over the course of the last nine years. Historically, trends show that department stores shift their strategy towards high-end luxury goods during favorable economic times. During recessions, however, they will shift their strategy towards value buys. This trend does not favor Polo Ralph Lauren given the economic hardships seen around the globe. As a result, the company is seeing investment downgrades around the market. Macy’s, the company’s biggest wholesale customer, has seen sales slip 5.4% during their last operating year. In addition, the company recently announced that it would cut 7000 jobs. This represents a cut of approximately 4% of its workforce. In addition to being a customer of Polo Ralph Lauren, the company could also become a competitor. In order to differentiate themselves from competitors, Macy’s has begun to emphasize their own private brands. This could have negative affects on Polo Ralph Lauren if consumers choose to trade down during the weak economic period. It would have been helpful to be able to pinpoint the Company’s market share, but they operate in an industry where this number is hard to come by and is not as material as in other industries. For instance, there are so many different companies that operate in this industry that market share numbers would be fragmented and possibly not reflective of a company’s strength. In addition, Polo Ralph Lauren offers a more diversified product offering than many companies in this industry. I did, however, come across market shares for the Company in an earlier year (2005), which stated that the Company had a 25% market share. Unfortunately, the article did not state which companies were included in this industry, which makes me question this number. At the beginning of the company’s FY2009, Strong international sales growth had helped Polo Ralph Lauren withstand the challenging U.S. retail environment, however global markets have also been severely depressed, so it is likely that Polo Ralph Lauren will face dramatic decreases in sales volume during the end of FY2009 and throughout FY2010. In order for the Company to achieve double-digit growth levels, the company would need to see an overall improvement throughout the global economy. For instance, national economies such as Japan, China, and various European nations will have to rebound at approximately the same time as the United States. If the rebound in economies is fragmented, the Company will not be able to grow as healthily because they are relying on global expansion to drive growth. 5 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup S.W.O.T. A NALYSIS Strengths • Diversified product offering • Sound leadership through Chairman and CEO Ralph Lauren • Favorable consumer brand recognition • Expanding international growth in China, Japan, and other Asian markets • The company has been in business for nearly 42 fiscal years • Expansion of shop-within-shops • Outsource the majority of their production • Strong financial position Weaknesses • Two wholesale customers account for 36% of wholesale revenue • Business is cyclical with the highest sales volume seen during the back-to-school and holiday seasons • Rely on licensing partners to preserve the value of the company’s licenses • During periods of recession Ralph Lauren products are often considered discretionary items • Currency Fluctuations Opportunities • Create acceptable value proposition for retail customers • Partnerships with other companies • Improve brand recognition in developing countries Threats • • • • • High levels of consumer debt could adversely affect sales High levels of unemployment Low levels of consumer credit Changes in consumer preferences regarding style The loss of a major wholesale customer due to global macroeconomic conditions PORTER’S 5 FORCES A NALYSIS Supplier Power—moderate and stable As previously mentioned in the report, Polo Ralph Lauren contracts for the manufacture of their products. The Company is not entirely reliant on one manufacturer as they contract with over 400 different manufacturers around the world. I think that this means that no single supplier or manufacturer has too much power over the company. Raw materials necessary for the production of the Company’s products include but are not limited to fabrics, buttons, and other trims. Given the fact that Polo Ralph Lauren contracts with numerous manufacturers, I believe that supplier power is moderate and stable because if an individual manufacturer becomes too expensive the Company can dissolve their business relationship with them. However, it is worth mentioning that switching suppliers may be costly for the Company. Barriers to Entry—moderate and increasing This year has been marked by significant cuts in discretionary spending by consumers due to a housing market crash, stock market crash, and an overall downturn in the global economy. The lack of consumer confidence and decreased spending would place significant pressure on a new company’s operating margins. In addition, consumers often buy the brand of clothing that they are the most familiar with. Brand recognition is very important, and it is difficult for a relatively unknown company to compete with Polo Ralph Lauren on this basis. In addition to the importance of brand name recognition, a company would have to acquire adequate floor space to compete with Ralph Lauren. Acquiring this floor space could become difficult as department stores, such as Macy’s, are often already pressed for space. These qualitative points lead me to believe that the barriers to entry are moderate and increasing. 6 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup Buyer Power—Moderate and increasing For the most part, Polo Ralph Lauren provides products that are a luxury and not a necessity. This means that their sales directly depend on consumer confidence. Individual consumers lives often do not depend on the ability to consume Polo Ralph Lauren or other fashionable products. Consumer preferences drive the fashion industry, and as the economy continues to weaken product pricing is becoming more important than usual for their demographic consumers. Individual consumers are spending less money this year and are willing to forego the purchase of expensive clothes. In addition, the Company’s wholesale segment has two large customers. The loss of one of these customers would be great, which gives wholesale customers a certain degree of leverage over the Company. The fact that Polo Ralph Lauren provides a luxury good as opposed to a necessity and that the Company has two large customers in the wholesale segment leads me to believe that buyer power is moderate and increasing. Threat of Substitutes—Low and stable The threat of substitute goods is low and stable. Polo Ralph Lauren targets the upper-middle class- to upper class consumers. These social groups tend to dress formally and to buy other formal lifestyle products. Stereotypically, these social groups have the most disposable income and are likely to buy formal clothes to enhance their wardrobe. Given a long enough time frame, there is also little substitute for clothing. There is always the possibility that people will choose to dress down, but it is unlikely that the “formal look” will ever go out of style. Degree of Rivalry—Moderate and Increasing The rivalry between companies targeting the upper-middle class to upper class is high. There are numerous brands to choose from, and companies compete primarily on the basis of brand recognition and consumer preferences. Price competition is usually not a significant issue for companies like Polo Ralph Lauren due to their demographics disposable income base, but as the economy continues to weaken more and more people are willing to forego certain purchases due to pricing factors. The current stressed global economy is putting more pricing pressure than usual on companies like Polo Ralph Lauren. This pricing pressure could lead to an increase in competition, which leads me to believe that rivalry is moderate and increasing. CATALYSTS Upside • • • • Increased consumer confidence Favorable seasonality (back-to-school and holiday seasons) Enhanced health of global macroeconomic environment Wide availability of consumer credit Downside • Loss of a major customer • Continued deterioration of global economy • Litigation concerning the company’s outsource production facilities COMPARABLES ANALYSIS The comparable companies used in the comparables analysis were chosen based on their exposure to similar risk factors, product offering, customer base, target demographic, and debt structure. All of the comparable companies chosen were also listed as comparable competitors in Polo Ralph Lauren’s 2008 annual report. The comparable companies chosen were: Coach (COH), Estee Lauder Companies (EL), Warnaco Group Inc. (WRC), Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (PVH), and Abercrombie & Fitch. (ANF). All five companies were weighed equally at 20%. I weighed all five companies equally because I thought all of the companies showed good comparability in terms of product offering, customer base, and debt structure. The four multiples used to reach an implied price were: EV/Revenues, EV/Gross Profit, EV/EBITDA, and EV/OCF. I think that the use of four multiples is an effective way to present a balanced and thorough overall view of a company’s effectiveness in terms of sales volume, ability to generate profit from sales, and ability to generate operating cash flow. The four multiples were weighed equally at 25% because there weren’t any outliers present in the resulting multiples. The multiples led to a fairly tight range of implied prices ($28.63-$37.62). The final result was an implied price of $33.86. Polo Ralph Lauren is currently trading at $35.96, an overvaluation of 6.21%. The comparable analysis was weighed 50-50 against the DCF, as my comparable analysis implied price was within $4.12 of the DCF implied price. 7 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup Coach Inc. (COH) 20% Weighting Coach Inc. offers premium lifestyle accessories for both men and women. The Company has a fairly diverse product portfolio offering handbags, footwear, jewelry, wearables, business cases, sun wear, watches, travel bags, and fragrance products. The Company generates revenue from two business segments: Direct-to-consumer segment and indirect segment. The direct-toconsumer segment generates revenues from the sales of Coach products directly from Coach stores. Coach stores are located in shopping centers and metropolitan areas throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan. The indirect segment generates revenues from the sale of Coach products through intermediaries such as department stores. Macy’s, Dillards, and Nordstrom are three of Coach’s biggest indirect segment customers. I think that Coach offers good comparability to Ralph Lauren on the basis of a couple factors. One factor is that the Company derives revenue from similar business segments. Coach’s indirect segment can be likened to Ralph Lauren’s wholesale segment and Coach’s direct-to-consumer segment is similar to Ralph Lauren’s retail segment. The two companies also have a diversified product offering. In addition, both companies products are most often considered by consumers to be a discretionary item. Estee Lauder Companies. (EL) 20% Weighting Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is involved in the manufacture of skin care, hair products, make-up, and fragrance products. The Company has global reach with products sold in over 140 countries. Some of the Company’s brand names are Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, MzAzC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, American Beauty, Flirt!, Good Skin, Grassroots, Ojon and Eyes by Design. These brands could be considered direct competitors to certain Ralph Lauren products, in particular the Company’s fragrance line. The Company sells products through upscale department stores, specialty retailers, and prestige saloons. Estee Lauder products are sold through over 25,000 points of sale. Estee Lauder offers comparability to Ralph Lauren on the basis of global reach and similar customer base. Both companies are attempting to expand their international appeal and reach. In addition, certain Ralph Lauren products compete directly with certain Estee Lauder products. 8 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup Warnaco Group Inc. (WRC) 20% Weighting Warnaco Group Inc. is involved in the design, marketing, and distribution of intimate apparel, sportswear, and swimwear. The Company has recognizable brand names owning Calvin Klein, Speedo, Chaps, Warner, and Olga. The Company has a global reach with products sold primarily to wholesalers, such as Macy’s. In addition, the Company operates over 740 Calvin Klein retail stores around the world. Much like the other comparable companies, Warnaco Group is very similar to Ralph Lauren through customer base, global breadth, target demographic, and also has a very similar debt structure. Phillips Van Heusen Corp. (PVH) 20% Weighting Phillips Van Heusen Corp is an apparel company that designs and markets dress shirts, sportswear, neck ties, and footwear. Some of the Company’s popular brands are Van Heusen, IZOD, Arrow, G.H. Bass & Co., Geoffrey Beene, Sean John, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, Kenneth Cole New York, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, and Perry Ellis Portfolio. The Company operates its own stores and sells products both to wholesalers and licensers. Phillips Van Heusen Corp. is a good comparable company because the Company’s principal product is clothing. PVH clothing competes directly with Ralph Lauren clothing. Both companies have products in department and specialty stores and have mentionable global reach. In addition, the Company also has a very comparable debt structure. Abercrombie & Fitch. (ANF) 20% Weighting Abercrombie & Fitch is a specialty retailer that operates stores usually located in malls. The Company’s products include outerwear, jeans, shirts, and personal care products for both men and women. As of 2008, the Company operated 1035 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Although Abercrombie & Fitch’s target demographic is often slightly different than Polo Ralph Lauren’s, the Company still offers comparability on similar risk factors and product offering. 9 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW A NALYSIS DCF Synopsis The DCF was forecasted through 2018 using the percent of sales method. The DCF projections were made with the intention to illustrate conservative, or even pessimistic, growth to display an accurate presentation of risks that may act as potential barriers to the Company in the future (namely consumers being careful with their discretionary income and international economies recovering at different points of time). I relied heavily on company guidance, analyst estimates, industry speculation, and personal interjection to project out the various line items in the DCF. The DCF led to an implied price of $29.74, which is an overvaluation of 17.31%, given that the company is trading for 35.96. Beta In order to derive a beta, I performed a five-year monthly regression of Polo Ralph Lauren’s adjusted closed prices against the S&P 500. Through this, I reached a beta of 1.53 with a standard error of .22. This beta appears reasonable given the 52-week range of Polo Ralph Lauren stock prices ($31.22-$82.02). Revenue In order to project the company’s revenues, I recognized the business segments that Polo Ralph Lauren has traditionally generated revenue from and projected future growth on each of the business segments. To clarify my previously mentioned use of conservative growth, it is important to note that the growth is not conservative to the point where I believe that the revenue projections are simply inaccurate. When I say conservative growth, I am simply suggesting that I believe that the company’s growth levels will be lower than some of the other analyst projections that I have seen. I believe that the company will have lower and slower growth levels due three key reasons. (1) The stressed state of the retail industry. (2) I believe that the recovery times of global markets will arrive at different times, which will in turn hinder the company’s growth. In order to have the strong double-digit growth that the company has had in the past they need healthy global economies. (3) I believe that even after the economy recovers, both in domestic and global markets, that consumers will still hold onto their discretionary income a little tighter than in the past. There were three trends that I wanted to illustrate with my revenue projections. One was that the company’s wholesale segment would continue to account for the majority of revenues ranging from 57%-58%. The second was for the company’s retail segment to experience higher growth rates coming out of the recession than the wholesale segment as the company intends to open up more retail stores which will increase the opportunity for retail segment sales. Despite this growth, the retail segment would still only account for less than 40% of total revenues. Lastly, the company’s license segment would experience negative growth due to the company obtaining direct control of certain licensee operations in global operations. The primary basis of my projections was company guidance and the use of various analyst projections. For FY2009, the company projected total revenues to be roughly 4,972,000 (in thousands). The company suggested that their wholesale segment would be leading the way in terms of segment growth and as a percentage of revenue. The retail segment would have very little growth as the company believed that sales would be less here as the items in the retail stores are generally more expensive and the segment does not have as many opportunities for sales. The licensing segment would see negative growth, like the past, due to the company gaining direct control of certain licensee operations. FY2010 will be most reflective of the current economy, in terms of growth, as the company reports on an annual basis that is roughly a year ahead. The company will experience negative growth throughout all segments, minus the license segment (due to the company extending licensee agreements in foreign markets) and will finish the year with total revenues shrinking by roughly two percent. I wanted to illustrate sales making a rebound from negative growth in FY2011 as a result of improving economic conditions. Fiscal years 2012 & 2013 were meant to show the company’s strongest future growth, but still not as strong as past levels (due to global economies recovering at different times). From FY2014 on to perpetuity, I trended the growth rates down to rates that would be reflective of the company’s free cash flows growing at approximately three percent during the terminal year of the DCF. Cost of Goods Sold Historically, the company’s cost of goods sold has been consistent as a percentage of revenue at 45%-46%. This is in large due to the fact that the company out sources the majority of production, which has allowed the company to control their costs associated with making sales. The company has been quoted saying that their costs are “locked in”, however many analysts 10 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup believe that rising material and labor costs will pressure profit margins in the long term. Given this, I have chosen to raise the company’s cost of goods sold annually by increments of .25%. The company predicted that their cost of goods sold be roughly 46% of revenues in 2009, so I used this as a starting point. The result of the increases is a cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue of 48.25% in the terminal year. This in turn causes the company’s gross profit margin to fall from 54% to 51.75%. Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses The company’s historical SG&A expense has been variable, but in a fairly tight range with a low of 38.73% and a high of 41.83% of revenue. Given the company’s FY2009 quarterly results, it appears that the SG&A will tend to be on the high end of the historic range. Thus, I have projected that the company will have an SG&A expense as a percentage of revenue of 41% in 2009. This increase was a result from the company assuming direct control of certain licensee agreements and a larger lease expense as the company opened up more retail stores. I believe that this will be a future trend for the company so I have chosen to increase SG&A as a percentage of revenue by .25% annually. This combined with the declining gross profit margin will cause the company’s operating income to decrease by .5% annually. Interest and Other Income, Net Some analysts would probably choose not to forecast this line item. However, this line item has been very consistent for the company. Going forward, I do not have any reason to believe that this will be any different. Given this, I projected that the company will receive .5% of revenue annually in interest and other income. Interest Expense During the years 2005 and 2006, the company had an interest expense as a percentage of revenue of .33%. It is to my understanding that in 2007 the company issued more long-term debt, which raised the interest expense to .5% in 2007. This was raised to .53% in 2008. Given the company’s quarterly results, I projected that this expense will increase slightly to .55%. Going forward I held this expense as a percentage of revenue constant at .50% as increases or decreases would likely be negligible on the analysis and this is a difficult line item to project because it is speculatory in nature. Depreciation & Amortization The company’s depreciation and amortization expense has been fairly constant ranging from 3.14% of revenues to 4.12% over the span of FY2005-FY2008. I think that this expense, as a percentage of revenue, will continue this trend into the future. The company generally leases space for their retail stores, so it is unlikely that depreciation expense will increase significantly from this. Given the historical trend, I projected depreciation and amortization to be four percent of revenues from FY2009 into perpetuity. Capital Expenditures The company’s capital expenditures are generally expenses associated with global retail store expansion, construction of shopwithin-shops, and technological infrastructure. Historically, the company’s capital expenditures have ranged from 4.23%5.32% of revenues. Through guidance, I projected that the company’s capital expenditures be roughly 5% of revenues during FY2009. In FY2010, I projected a low level of capital expenditures to reflect a down year in business sales and investment. This led to capital expenditures worth 4% of the company’s revenues. Beginning in FY2011 and extending into the terminal year, I projected capital expenditures, as a percentage of revenue, to be 4.5%. This percentage reflects a historically normal investment into the company. Net Working Capital The company’s current assets have been fairly consistent ranging from 36.80%-42.77% as a percentage of revenue during FY2005-2008. The slight fluctuations can generally be attributed to the company’s varying inventory levels from year to year. The company’s third quarter financial results indicated an increase in inventory levels, likely because of the significant downturn throughout the global economy. In FY2008, the company had inventory levels worth approximately 10.55% of revenues, while the FY2009 third quarter data showed an increase of roughly 5%. This led me to project that the company’s current assets to increase to roughly 45% as a percentage of revenue for FY2009. I think that the company will then adjust their production levels in an effort to control inventory levels. Due to this, I projected current assets to decrease back down to more historical levels beginning in FY2010 and continuing on into perpetuity. 11 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup As a percentage of revenue, the company’s current liabilities have ranged from 14.91%-22.52%. In general, however, the company’s current liabilities have ranged from 18%-20% of revenues. This trend is likely to continue into the future, which is why I projected current liabilities to stay within the middle of the range. Tax Rate The company has had a variable tax rate due to the company’s practice of the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. This method allows the company to defer income taxes to later years. During FY2008 the company was taxed below the standard rate, and analyst projections believe that the company will continue to be taxed below the standard rate for FY2009. In FY2010-2011, however, the company will be taxed at a higher rate as a result of the deferred taxes. It is very speculatory to project the variations in the company’s tax rate to far out into the future, which is why I projected the company to have a standard 35% tax rate beginning in FY2012. I think that this will allow any increases or decreases in the tax rate to effectively net out over the course of time. RECOMMENDATION My analysis of Polo Ralph Lauren leads me to believe that the company is well positioned in their industry. The company has favorable brand recognition, strong sales, global reach, and a diversified product offering. However, the current outlook for the company is bleak given that consumers are continually cutting discretionary spending and searching for a “value buy”. The Comparables Analysis showed that the company was overvalued by 6.21% and the DCF showed an overvaluation of 17.31%. I weighed the two equally at 50%, which led to a weighted implied price of $31.80 an overvaluation of 11.58%. The result of the overall analysis suggests to me that Polo Ralph Lauren is for the most part fairly valued by the market. The company could be slightly overvalued because of the strengths outlined throughout the report. Given this, I am recommending a hold on Polo Ralph Lauren in all University of Oregon Investment Group portfolios. 12 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup APPENDIX 1 – COMPARABLES ANALYSIS (Numbers in thousands of Dollars) Ralph Lauren. RL Weight NA Current Share Price 35.96 Shares Outstanding 99,100 Market Cap 3,563,636 Long Term Debt 419,600 EV 3,983,236 Revenues (trailing 12 months) 5,035,400 Gross Profit (trailing 12 months) 2,744,200 EBITDA (trailing 12 months) 914,300 OCF (trailing 12 months) 684,000 Multiples EV/Revenue 0.79 EV/Gross Profit 1.45 EV/EBITDA 4.36 EV/OCF 5.82 Coach. COH Estee Lauder Companies. EL Warnaco Group Inc. WRC Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. PVH Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF Weighted Average 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 100.00% 14.46 21.60 20.13 16.70 20.52 18.68 321,000 196,700 46,200 51,500 87,100 140,500 4,641,660 4,248,720 930,006 860,050 1,787,292 2,493,546 25,100 1,406,400 163,800 399,600 100,000 418,980 4,666,760 5,655,120 1,093,806 1,259,650 1,887,292 2,912,526 3,238,800 7,836,400 2,073,400 2,498,700 3,540,300 3,837,520 2,401,800 5,799,600 914,700 1,233,400 2,361,700 2,542,240 1,183,400 979,800 179,100 340,000 932,000 722,860 1,029,200 610,300 113,200 248,600 1,052,800 610,820 1.44 1.94 3.94 4.53 0.72 0.98 5.77 9.27 0.53 1.20 6.11 9.66 0.50 1.02 3.70 5.07 0.53 0.80 2.02 1.79 0.75 1.19 4.31 6.06 Implied Price Current Price Under (Over) Valued Implied Price Weights 33.64 25.00% 28.63 25.00% 35.53 25.00% 37.62 25.00% 33.86 35.96 -6.21% 13 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup APPENDIX 2 – DISCOUNTED CASH FLOWS ANALYSIS (In thousands of U.S. Dollars) 2005 Net Revenue 3,305,400 % Growth Cost of Goods Sold 1,620,869 % Revenue 49.04% Gross Profit 1,684,531 Gross Margin 50.96% Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses 1,382,520 % Revenue 41.83% Operating Income 302,011 % Revenue 9.14% Interest and Other Income, net 4,600 % Revenue 0.14% Interest Expense 11,000 % Revenue 0.33% Income Before Provision For Income Taxes 299,366 % Revenue 9.06% Provision for Income Taxes 107,400 Tax Rate 35.88% Net Income 191,966 Net Margin 5.81% Add Back Depreciation: Depreciation and Ammortization 103,633 % Revenue 3.14% Add Back Interest Expense*(1-Tax Rate) 7,054 % Revenue 0.21% Operating Cash Flow 302,653 % Revenue 9.16% Current Assets 1,413,763 % Revenue 42.77% Current Liabilities 622,410 % Revenue 18.83% Net Working Capital 791,353 % Revenue 23.94% Change in Net Working Capital 781,951,000 Capital Expenditures 175,845 % Revenue 5.32% Free Cash Flow -781,824,192 Discounted Free Cash Flows 2006 3,746,300 13.34% 1,723,900 46.02% 2,022,400 53.98% 1,476,900 39.42% 545,500 14.56% 13,700 0.37% 12,500 0.33% 502,900 13.42% 194,900 38.76% 308,000 8.22% 127,000 3.39% 7,656 0.20% 442,656 11.82% 1,378,500 36.80% 843,500 22.52% 535,000 14.28% -256,353 158,600 4.23% 540,409 2007 4,295,400 14.66% 1,959,200 45.61% 2,336,200 54.39% 1,663,400 38.73% 672,800 15.66% 26,100 0.61% 21,600 0.50% 643,300 14.98% 242,400 37.68% 400,900 9.33% 144,700 3.37% 13,461 0.31% 559,061 13.02% 1,685,900 39.25% 640,300 14.91% 1,045,600 24.34% 510,600 184,000 4.28% -135,539 2008 4,880,100 13.61% 2,242,000 45.94% 2,638,100 54.06% 1,932,500 39.60% 705,600 14.46% 24,700 0.51% 25,700 0.53% 642,100 13.16% 222,300 34.62% 419,800 8.60% 201,300 4.12% 16,802 0.34% 637,902 13.07% 1,893,500 38.80% 908,600 18.62% 984,900 20.18% -60,700 217,100 4.45% 481,502 2009 Q1-3A 3,794,500 NA 1,698,200 44.75% 2,096,300 55.25% 1,516,600 39.97% 579,700 15.28% 18,500 0.49% 20,500 0.54% 548,900 14.47% 187,400 34.14% 361,500 9.53% 138,000 3.64% 13,501 0.36% 513,001 13.52% 2,004,200 52.82% 721,300 19.01% 1,282,900 33.81% 298,000 129,900 3.42% 85,101 0.25 2009 Q4E 1,177,920 NA 588,960 50.00% 588,960 50.00% 522,092 44.32% 66,868 5.68% 6,362 0.54% 6,848 0.58% 95,182 8.08% 31,588 33.19% 63,594 5.40% 60,897 5.17% 3,902 0.33% 128,393 10.90% 2,263,000 919,898 1,343,102 60,202 120,100 10.20% -51,909 -50,454 2009 E+A 4,972,420 1.89% 2,287,160 46.00% 2,685,260 54.00% 2,038,692 41.00% 646,568 13.00% 24,862 0.50% 27,348 0.55% 644,082 12.95% 218,988 34.00% 425,094 8.55% 198,897 4.00% 17,403 0.35% 641,394 12.90% 2,263,000 45.51% 919,898 18.50% 1,343,102 27.01% 358,202 250,000 5.03% 33,192 1.25 2010 4,868,309 -2.09% 2,251,593 46.25% 2,616,716 53.75% 2,008,178 41.25% 608,539 12.50% 24,342 0.50% 24,342 0.50% 608,539 12.50% 225,159 37.00% 383,379 7.88% 194,732 4.00% 17,039 0.35% 595,151 12.23% 1,947,324 40.00% 924,979 19.00% 1,022,345 21.00% -320,757 194,732 4.00% 721,176 625,634 2.25 2011 5,038,182 3.49% 2,342,755 46.50% 2,695,427 53.50% 2,090,845 41.50% 604,582 12.00% 25,191 0.50% 25,191 0.50% 604,582 12.00% 223,695 37.00% 380,887 8% 201,527 4.00% 17,634 0.35% 600,047 12% 2,015,273 40.00% 957,255 19.00% 1,058,018 21.00% 35,673 226,718 4.50% 337,656 261,443 3.25 2012 5,378,762 6.76% 2,514,571 46.75% 2,864,191 53.25% 2,245,633 41.75% 618,558 11.50% 26,894 0.50% 26,894 0.50% 618,558 11.50% 216,495 35.00% 402,062 7% 215,150 4.00% 18,826 0.35% 636,039 12% 2,151,505 40.00% 1,021,965 19.00% 1,129,540 21.00% 71,522 242,044 4.50% 322,473 222,853 4.25 2013 5,757,912 7.05% 2,706,219 47.00% 3,051,693 53.00% 2,418,323 42.00% 633,370 11.00% 28,790 0.50% 28,790 0.50% 633,370 11.00% 221,680 35.00% 411,691 7% 230,316 4.00% 20,153 0.35% 662,160 12% 2,303,165 40.00% 1,094,003 19.00% 1,209,162 21.00% 79,622 259,106 4.50% 323,432 199,495 5.25 2014 6,109,973 6.11% 2,886,962 47.25% 3,223,011 52.75% 2,581,463 42.25% 641,547 10.50% 30,550 0.50% 30,550 0.50% 641,547 10.50% 224,541 35.00% 417,006 7% 244,399 4.00% 21,385 0.35% 682,789 11% 2,443,989 40.00% 1,160,895 19.00% 1,283,094 21.00% 73,933 274,949 4.50% 333,908 183,822 6.25 2015 6,415,877 5.01% 3,047,542 47.50% 3,368,336 52.50% 2,726,748 42.50% 641,588 10.00% 32,079 0.50% 32,079 0.50% 641,588 10.00% 224,556 35.00% 417,032 7% 256,635 4.00% 22,456 0.35% 696,123 11% 2,566,351 40.00% 1,219,017 19.00% 1,347,334 21.00% 64,240 288,714 4.50% 343,168 168,617 7.25 2016 6,688,090 4.24% 3,193,563 47.75% 3,494,527 52.25% 2,859,159 42.75% 635,369 9.50% 33,440 0.50% 33,440 0.50% 635,369 9.50% 222,379 35.00% 412,990 6% 267,524 4.00% 23,408 0.35% 703,921 11% 2,675,236 40.00% 1,270,737 19.00% 1,404,499 21.00% 57,165 300,964 4.50% 345,793 151,647 8.25 2017 6,907,528 3.28% 3,315,613 48.00% 3,591,914 52.00% 2,970,237 43.00% 621,677 9.00% 34,538 0.50% 34,538 0.50% 621,677 9.00% 217,587 35.00% 404,090 6% 276,301 4.00% 24,176 0.35% 704,568 10% 2,763,011 40.00% 1,312,430 19.00% 1,450,581 21.00% 46,082 310,839 4.50% 347,647 136,075 9.25 2018 7,114,753 3.00% 3,432,869 48.25% 3,681,885 51.75% 3,077,131 43.25% 604,754 8.50% 35,574 0.50% 35,574 0.50% 604,754 8.50% 211,664 35.00% 393,090 6% 284,590 4.00% 24,902 0.35% 702,582 10% 2,845,901 40.00% 1,351,803 19.00% 1,494,098 21.00% 43,517 320,164 4.50% 338,901 118,396 14 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup APPENDIX 3 – REVENUE PROJECTIONS Revenue Projections (in Thousands of U.S. Dollars) Wholesale % Segment Growth % of Revenues Retail % Segment Growth % of Revenues Net Sales % Growth Licensing Revenue % Segment Growth % of Revenues Net Revenues % Growth 2005 1,712,100 51.80% 1,348,600 40.80% 3,060,700 244,700 7.40% 3,305,400 2006 1,942,500 13.46% 51.85% 1,558,600 15.57% 41.60% 3,501,100 14.39% 245,200 0.20% 6.55% 3,746,300 13.34% 2007 2,315,900 19.22% 53.92% 1,743,200 11.84% 40.58% 4,059,100 15.94% 236,300 -3.63% 5.50% 4,295,400 14.66% 2008 2,758,100 19.09% 56.52% 1,912,600 9.72% 39.19% 4,670,700 15.07% 209,400 -11.38% 4.29% 4,880,100 13.61% 2009 Q1-3 2,075,700 NA 54.70% 1,570,100 NA 41.38% 3,645,800 NA 148,700 NA 3.92% 3,794,500 NA 2009 Q4E 2009 A+E 765,143 2,840,843 NA 3.00% 64.96% 57.13% 361,626 1,931,726 NA 1.00% 30.70% 38.85% 1,126,769 4,772,569 NA 2.18% 51,151 199,851 NA -4.56% 4.34% 4.02% 1,177,920 4,972,420 NA 1.89% 2010 2,784,026 -2.00% 57.19% 1,883,433 -2.50% 38.69% 4,667,459 -2.20% 200,850 0.50% 4.13% 4,868,309 -2.09% 2011 2,895,387 4.00% 57.47% 1,939,936 3.00% 38.50% 4,835,323 3.60% 202,859 1.00% 4.03% 5,038,182 3.49% 2012 3,127,018 8.00% 58.14% 2,052,942 9.00% 38.17% 5,179,960 7.13% 198,802 -2.00% 3.70% 5,378,762 6.76% 2013 3,345,909 7.00% 58.11% 2,217,177 8.00% 38.51% 5,563,087 7.40% 194,826 -2.00% 3.38% 5,757,912 7.05% 2014 3,546,664 6.00% 58.05% 2,372,380 7.00% 38.83% 5,919,044 6.40% 190,929 -2.00% 3.12% 6,109,973 6.11% 2015 3,723,997 5.00% 58.04% 2,502,860 5.50% 39.01% 6,226,858 5.20% 189,020 -1.00% 2.95% 6,415,877 5.01% 2016 3,872,957 4.00% 57.91% 2,628,003 5.00% 39.29% 6,500,961 4.40% 187,130 -1.00% 2.80% 6,688,090 4.24% 2017 2018 3,989,146 3.00% 57.75% 2,733,124 4.00% 39.57% 6,722,269 3.40% 185,258 -1.00% 2.68% 6,907,528 7,114,753 3.28% 3.00% APPENDIX 4 – DCF ASSUMPTIONS DCF ASSUMPTIONS Tax Rate Risk Free Rate (10 Year Bond) Market Risk Premium Beta Cost Of Equity (CAPM) % Equity Cost of Debt % Debt WACC Terminal Growth Rate 35.00% 2.50% 7.00% 1.53 13.21% 89.47% 3.25% 10.53% 12.04% 3.00% PV Of Future Cash Flows Terminal Value PV Of Terminal Value Firm Value Long Term Debt Equity Value Shares Outstanding 2,017,527 3,860,952 1,348,833 3,366,360 419,600 2,946,760 99,100 Implied Share Price Current Share Price Under (Over) Valued 29.74 35.96 -17.31% Weighted DCF & Comps Price DCF Implied Price Comps Implied Price Weighted Implied Price Price 29.74 33.86 31.80 Current Price (Overvalued) 35.96 -11.58% Weight 50.00% 50.00% 100.00% 15 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup APPENDIX 5 – BETA SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS Beta 1.97 1.86 1.75 1.64 1.53 1.42 1.31 1.20 1.09 St. Deviation 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 -1.5 -2 Implied Price 22.30 22.99 23.79 24.70 29.74 27.01 28.47 30.21 32.30 Undervalued -37.99% -36.06% -33.85% -31.30% -17.31% -24.89% -20.82% -15.99% -10.19% APPENDIX 6 – REFERENCE PAGE & ECONOMIC GRAPHS/CHARTS • • • • • • • • • • • Polo Ralph Lauren Annual & Quarterly Reports Morningstar reports Argus Reports Bank of America/Merrill Lynch reports (Robert Ohmes and Helena Tse) Plunkett’s Retail Industry Almanac 2009 Marketing Daily Reuters Yahoo Finance Google Finance Fact Set SEC webpage 16 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup 17 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation Univer sit y of Or egon I nvest ment Gr oup 18
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