MCK

Crucial Insights on McKesson's Stock Performance

It hasn't been a great morning session for McKesson investors, who have watched their shares sink by -11.3% to a price of $547.51. Some of you might be wondering if it's time to buy the dip. If you are considering this, make sure to check the company's fundamentals first to determine if the shares are fairly valued at today's prices.

McKesson Is Reasonably Priced:

McKesson Corporation provides healthcare services in the United States and internationally. The company belongs to the Health Care sector, which has an average price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.61. In contrast, McKesson has a trailing 12 month P/E ratio of 24.5 based on its earnings per share of $22.39.

There is an important limit on the usefulness of P/E ratios. Since the P/E ratio is the share price divided by earnings per share, the ratio is determined partially by market sentiment on the stock. Sometimes a negative sentiment translates to a lower market price and therefore a lower P/E ratio -- and there might be good reasons for this negative sentiment.

One of the main reasons not to blindly invest in a company with a low P/E ratio is that it might have low growth expectations. Low growth correlates with low stock performance, so it's useful to factor growth into the valuation process. One of the easiest ways to do this is to divide the company's P/E ratio by its expected growth rate, which results in the price to earnings growth, or PEG ratio.

McKesson's PEG ratio is 1.46, which shows that the stock is overvalued in terms of its estimated growth. For reference, a PEG ratio near or below 1 is a potential signal that a company is undervalued.

Exceptional EPS Growth but Not Enough Current Assets to Cover Current Liabilities:

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (M) $214,319 $231,051 $238,228 $263,966 $276,711 $308,951
Gross Margins 5% 5% 5% 5% 4% 4%
Net Margins 0% 0% -2% 0% 1% 1%
Net Income (M) $34 $900 -$4,539 $1,114 $3,560 $3,002
Net Interest Expense (M) $264 $249 $217 $178 $248 $252
Depreciation & Amort. (M) $317 $321 $321 $279 $248 $253
Diluted Shares (M) 180 160 152 141 133 134
Earnings Per Share $0.17 $4.95 -$28.26 $7.23 $25.03 $22.39
EPS Growth n/a 2811.76% -670.91% 125.58% 246.2% -10.55%
Avg. Price $132.78 $128.44 $148.89 $196.34 $294.9 $547.51
P/E Ratio 781.06 25.79 -5.27 26.82 11.69 24.29
Free Cash Flow (M) $3,610 $4,012 $4,091 $4,046 $4,769 $3,883
CAPEX (M) $426 $362 $451 $388 $390 $431
EV / EBITDA 25.56 8.8 -5.73 13.82 9.63 17.35
Total Debt (M) $7,595 $7,519 $6,260 $6,251 $6,593 $5,629
Net Debt / EBITDA 4.6 1.4 -0.74 1.5 1.0 0.25
Current Ratio 0.98 1.01 0.98 0.93 0.92 0.92

McKesson has exceptional EPS growth and growing revenues and a flat capital expenditure trend. Additionally, the company's financial statements display generally positive cash flows and healthy leverage levels. However, the firm suffers from slimmer gross margins than its peers and not enough current assets to cover current liabilities because its current ratio is 0.92.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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