Yahoo Finance Should You Investigate Whitbread PLC (LON:WTB) At UK£25.41?
Whitbread PLC (LON:WTB), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the LSE over the last few months. As a mid-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s examine Whitbread’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.
Check out our latest analysis for Whitbread
Is Whitbread still cheap?
According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that Whitbread’s ratio of 17.42x is trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 19.24x, which means if you buy Whitbread today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Whitbread should be trading at this level in the long run, then there’s not much of an upside to gain over and above other industry peers. Furthermore, Whitbread’s share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This may mean it is less likely for the stock to fall lower from natural market volatility, which suggests less opportunities to buy moving forward.
What kind of growth will Whitbread generate?
Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Whitbread’s earnings growth are expected to be in the teens in the upcoming years, indicating a solid future ahead. This should lead to robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in WTB’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at WTB? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on WTB, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for WTB, which means it’s worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
If you want to dive deeper into Whitbread, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, we've found that Whitbread has 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.
If you are no longer interested in Whitbread, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
