GVA Granite Construction Incorporated
$116.65
Cyclical & Capital-Intensive 80%
Normalized Earnings × Cycle Multiple
Strong · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 281.2% above fair value

You pay $116.65
Bear $23.80
Fair $30.60
Bull $37.40
Bear $23.80 -79.6% $1.70 × 14x
Fair $30.60 -73.8% $1.70 × 18x
Bull $37.40 -67.9% $1.70 × 22x

Adjust Assumptions

18.0x
1.7$

Key Value Driver

Through-cycle normalized EPS ($1.70)

Implied Market Multiple 68.6x

Analyst Consensus (External Reference)

Never blended into the bear/base/bull estimates above.

Average Target (15 analysts) $159.67
Divergence from AlphaVal 81%

Summary

Using 7-year normalized EPS of $1.70 at a 18x cycle multiple, the base-case value is $30.60 per share. P/TBV cross-check: 8.5x.

Warnings

This company has a built-in lending arm whose debt is mixed in with the main business. We capped the debt adjustment to avoid overstating what the core business owes.
Recent profits ($3.63/share) are 114% above the mid-cycle average ($1.70). Buying based on peak profits is the most common mistake with boom-and-bust businesses.
Price-to-book value of 8.5x is above the normal range for this type of business (0.7x-2.0x). The stock may already price in a strong cycle.
Wall Street's average price target is $159.67 (from 15 analysts). Our estimate is 81% below the consensus -- consider that gap carefully.

Key Risks

  • Standard 10-year DCF produces unreliable terminal values for cyclicals
  • 'Cheap' P/E at cycle peak is the most common value trap — normalize first
  • Captive finance subsidiaries have different risk profiles from manufacturing