At AU$1.32, Is Regis Healthcare Limited (ASX:REG) Worth Looking At Closely?

While Regis Healthcare Limited (ASX:REG) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the ASX over the last few months, increasing to AU$1.64 at one point, and dropping to the lows of AU$1.27. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Regis Healthcare's current trading price of AU$1.32 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Regis Healthcare’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for Regis Healthcare

What's the opportunity in Regis Healthcare?

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 Regis Healthcare’s ratio of 10.25x is trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 12.81x, which means if you buy Regis Healthcare today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Regis Healthcare 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, Regis Healthcare’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.

Can we expect growth from Regis Healthcare?

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. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. Regis Healthcare’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? REG’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. 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 REG? 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 REG, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for REG, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Regis Healthcare (1 is a bit concerning!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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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.
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