U-Haul Holding Co is scored 32 for moat and 57 for management. The management score rests on a return on invested capital of 1.6% and a gross margin of 85.8% — figures that describe returns closer to the cost of the capital behind them. Debt sits at 1.07x equity. The narrow moat and mixed management are not the same judgement, and the gap between them is where the argument about this business sits.
The price anchors are built on deliberately conservative assumptions. Growth is modelled at 5.9% a year, below the 6.0% actually measured over the last decade — the model caps growth rather than extrapolating a good run forwards. The exit multiple assumed is 11.7x. That produces an intrinsic value of $0.97, a 10-CAP price of $28.17 and a payback time price of $29.36, with the value zone set at the highest of the three, $29.36. Today's price of $60.99 is 108% above it.
The price is above the value zone and the business scores 32 for moat and 57 for management. Neither test argues for paying up here.
| Price | $60.99 |
| Market cap | $11.9B |
| P/E ratio | 321.0x |
| Return on invested capital | 1.6% |
| Gross margin | 85.8% |
| Debt to equity | 1.07x |
| Free cash flow yield | -14.5% |
| Growth rate used | 5.9% |
| Growth rate measured | 6.0% |
| Exit multiple assumed | 11.7x |
| Company | Moat | Buy price |
| U-Haul Holding Co-Non Voting (UHAL-B) | 32 | $29.36 |
| Herc Holdings Inc (HRI) | 48 | $150.27 |
| Aercap Holdings Nv (AER) | 68 | $132.64 |
| Sunbelt Rentals Holdings Inc (SUNB) | 66 | $99.46 |
Every number above is built on assumptions that can be changed. In Moatly you can move the growth rate, the exit multiple and the margin of safety and watch every figure recalculate, so you are testing your own view of U-Haul Holding Co rather than accepting ours.