Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Yee-Ching Lilian Chan. The Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 (referred as “Valeant Valeant's” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Ethics, Financial management, Health, International business, Mergers & acquisitions.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 Case Study

Supplement to case HEC199. From 2008 to 2015, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (Valeant) was a Wall Street darling under the leadership of CEO Michael Pearson. The company's stock price soared as Pearson went on an acquisition spree. Critics questioned Valeant's capacity for organic growth and its lack of commitment to research and development (R&D). In October 2015, investors began losing confidence when Valeant was subpoenaed to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee about its price-gouging practice. On-going investigations by the U.S. House Committee and Attorney's Offices regarding Valeant's patient assistance program and business relationships with Philidor Rx Services also contributed to the company's downfall. In May 2016, Valeant hired Joseph Papa to replace Pearson as CEO. One of Papa's top priorities was to pay down the $30 billion debt amassed to finance the company's acquisitions. In Case (A), students learn about the company's executive incentive compensation philosophy, acquisitions, and governance practices and are asked to assess the financial impact of Valeant's acquisitions. In Case (B), students are asked to identify the factors driving Valeant's stock price down and to assess the company's ability to pay down its $30 billion debt.

Case Authors : Yee-Ching Lilian Chan

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Ethics, Financial management, Health, International business, Mergers & acquisitions

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10000689)	-10000689	-	-
Year 1	3465438	-6535251	3465438	0.9434	3269281
Year 2	3956213	-2579038	7421651	0.89	3521015
Year 3	3950482	1371444	11372133	0.8396	3316901
Year 4	3245589	4617033	14617722	0.7921	2570810
TOTAL			14617722		12678008

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2677319

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Profitability Index
2. Payback Period
3. Net Present Value
4. Internal Rate of Return

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Valeant Valeant's have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.
2. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Valeant Valeant's shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Finance & Accounting Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Valeant Valeant's often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Valeant Valeant's needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10000689)	-10000689	-	-
Year 1	3465438	-6535251	3465438	0.8696	3013424
Year 2	3956213	-2579038	7421651	0.7561	2991465
Year 3	3950482	1371444	11372133	0.6575	2597506
Year 4	3245589	4617033	14617722	0.5718	1855676
TOTAL					10458072

The Net NPV after 4 years is 457383

(10458072 - 10000689 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10000689)	-10000689	-	-
Year 1	3465438	-6535251	3465438	0.8333	2887865
Year 2	3956213	-2579038	7421651	0.6944	2747370
Year 3	3950482	1371444	11372133	0.5787	2286159
Year 4	3245589	4617033	14617722	0.4823	1565195
TOTAL					9486589

The Net NPV after 4 years is -514100

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9486589 - 10000689 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Valeant Valeant's to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Valeant Valeant's has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Valeant Valeant's can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Valeant Valeant's, then the stock price of the Valeant Valeant's should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Valeant Valeant's should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016

References & Further Readings

Yee-Ching Lilian Chan (2018), "Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.: Case (B) Corporate Crisis in 2015 and 2016 Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.