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Marston's PLC (LON:MARS), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of 45% in the past couple of months on the LSE. The recent jump in the share price has meant that the company is trading at close to its 52-week high. As a stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s examine Marston's’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.
Check out our latest analysis for Marston's
Is Marston's Still Cheap?
According to our valuation model, Marston's seems to be fairly priced at around 3.1% below our intrinsic value, which means if you buy Marston's today, you’d be paying a fair price for it. And if you believe the company’s true value is £0.39, then there isn’t much room for the share price grow beyond what it’s currently trading. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Marston's’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.
What does the future of Marston's look like?
Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. 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. Though in the case of Marston's, it is expected to deliver a relatively unexciting top-line growth of 4.7% in the next few years, which doesn’t help build up its investment thesis. Growth doesn’t appear to be a main reason for a buy decision for the company, at least in the near term.
What This Means For You
Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in MARS’s future outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value?
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MARS, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook 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.