Funding thesis

Cambium Networks Company (NASDAQ:CMBM) is lively within the telecom trade, the place it presents mounted wi-fi and WiFi providers. Cambium is a former division of Motorola, from which it was spun off in 2011. Cambium was one of many high-flying shares of 2021 on surging demand, however up to now 12 months particularly, it has had a horrible run on the inventory alternate with a value decline in extra of 70 %:

On this evaluation, I look at what induced Cambium’s poor efficiency, and I check out some quantitative components pointing to future outperformance. I additionally consider steps administration has taken to deal with the problems.

Based mostly on my findings as outlined under, I am issuing a Purchase score for Cambium.

What induced the drop

Information consumption is rising worldwide, and firms offering the required community infrastructure to assist this secular development like Cambium usually profit within the course of. The information consumption which grew by means of the COVID pandemic benefitted Cambium, and the share value superior quickly throughout the first half of that 12 months.

Issues have turned on Cambium lately, although. In early August 2023, Cambium was down ~35 % in a single day as J. P. Morgan downgraded the problem from “Impartial” to “Underweight”. This got here as the corporate lower its full-year outlook, appointed a brand new CEO, and as Q2 outcomes missed consensus estimates.

In October 2023, the corporate upset once more: the Q3 2023 outlook was lowered considerably, underpinning a decline in demand from earlier highs. The market reacted promptly and hammered the inventory one other 20 %. Since then, shares have sat kind of idle on the alternate. In abstract, it seems that a lot of Cambium’s drop may be attributed to slowing demand, maybe partially for purely cyclical causes, and a subsequent “flip” towards the problem by the market.

Key quantitative components recommend future outperformance

With even probably the most bullish analysts on Looking for Alpha having turned towards Cambium and with the market hearth promoting the inventory, maybe now could be the time to take a critical look into shopping for.

Some numbers that I watch would recommend it.

Cambium presently trades at an enterprise worth (EV) to income (R) ratio of 0.54. The EV/R ratio expresses the quantity {that a} purchaser for management must pay for full possession of all property “cleared” of different fairness holders and bondholders, relative to the income produced by the enterprise. I am utilizing the EV/R ratio as a result of extra conventional metrics – resembling price-to-earnings (P/E) or price-to-free money movement (PFCF) typically is not significant when analyzing distressed enterprises.

As seen, Cambium’s income is nearly double the value a purchaser for management must pay – and that makes Cambium’s EV/R ratio effectively under sure of its friends, together with PCTEL, Inc. (PCTI) at an EV/R of 1.22 and Sangoma Applied sciences Company (SANG) at an EV/R of 0.80, though Cambium’s EV/R ratio is above sure different of its rivals, together with Silicom Ltd. (SILC) at an EV/R ratio of 0.49.

What’s extra, Cambium is a small-cap firm. I imagine small-caps usually tend to be overdiscounted – statistically, and seen as a gaggle – by the market in a downturn because the one which has occurred to Cambium.

Steps taken by administration to deal with the problems

Cambium’s new CEO, Morgan Kurk, delivered an trustworthy assertion on the newest earnings name with buyers. Talking on his view of Cambium’s previous, he stated:

… I’ve concluded we frequently attempt to do an excessive amount of, spreading ourselves too skinny, so I’m implementing a “focus and simplify” technique the place we construct core platforms that can be utilized to create a number of options. – Morgan Kurk, Cambium Networks CEO

Speaking about what this new technique concerned, the CEO added:

This technique improves effectivity in engineering, reduces time to market, and lowers product and assist prices. Focus is the important thing to success and requires the energy to resolve what to do and what to not do. – Morgan Kurk, Cambium Networks CEO

So it seems that administration’s total goal going ahead – in response to the poor Q3 2023 outcomes that led to the newest share value drop – is to concentrate on pricing and simplifying product traces.

Within the information launch presenting the disappointing Q3 2023 outcomes, the corporate pointed to (i.a.) delayed authorities protection orders (on account of budgetary timing points) as a serious contributor to the efficiency points. The corporate additionally stated that they now noticed the delays affecting the protection contracts to now be resolving in This autumn 2023 (the upcoming quarter). Administration additionally pointed to stock build-up, which it additionally stated it anticipated to resolve within the first half of 2024.

Going ahead, administration appears intent on increasing its footprint within the hospitality sector: Within the Caribbean and Latin America area, Cambium posted two essential wins throughout the previous quarter. A resort in Puerto Rico, The Fairfield Luquillo Seaside, began implementing Cambium’s Wi-Fi 6 and switching resolution, and Cambium was chosen for the AC Santiago within the Dominican Republic.

With administration’s concentrate on simplifying the enterprise, pricing providers proper for the market, a resolve to work by means of the problems that induced current poor efficiency, and a strengthening concentrate on the hospitality sector, it seems administration is on observe to show issues round. That does not essentially imply returning to the type of demand we noticed throughout the COVID pandemic, nevertheless.

The essential factor to notice is that administration’s actions seem to assist the quantitative components signaling a shopping for alternative.

Dangers

I see two fundamental enterprise associated dangers that might get in the best way of a passable funding end result from Cambium: To start with the aggressive setting, and secondly the adverse money movement the corporate produces.

By way of competitors, Cambium has a number of rivals that do kind of the identical factor as Cambium, together with those talked about earlier. This creates an setting the place pricing is essential – as acknowledged by the administration. It retains a strain on margins.

For FY2022 and for the previous trailing twelve months (TTM), Cambium has produced adverse money movement. This comes after having produced virtually $25 million of free money movement in 2021 and greater than $50 million in 2020. If the adverse money movement continues, it may hamper Cambium’s skill to make the required changes that administration has outlined – whereas if Cambium returns to creating the type of free money movement it did a few years in the past, then towards a market cap of ~$137 million it is clearly very cheaply priced.

With a difficulty like Cambium, I’d all the time diversify to handle threat. When shopping for a distressed challenge very cheaply, there’s an enormous potential upside – but additionally a draw back threat that needs to be managed. To deal with the danger, I’d maintain Cambium in a well-diversified portfolio that features a number of different alternatives much like Cambium.

Key takeaways

Cambium is likely one of the excessive flyers of COVID that has since turned bitter. The inventory value is down greater than 70 % up to now 12 months.

However Cambium is a small cap firm, and the market can simply overreact with these points. Actually, with an EV/R ratio of ~0.5, a purchaser for management may cheaply scoop of this enterprise. I am not speculating that somebody will, however the inventory is reasonable on a statistical stage and particular person buyers may gain advantage from shopping for at this value.

Administration is conscious of the challenges that Cambium faces, and it seems able to deal with the problems. There is a concentrate on pricing, bringing down stock and expansions inside hospitality.

To handle the danger that any particular person distressed safety entails, I recommend shopping for it for a well-diversified portfolio that incorporates related points.