Is It Time To Consider Buying Wesfarmers Limited (ASX:WES)?

Let's talk about the popular Wesfarmers Limited (ASX:WES). The company's shares received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the ASX over the last few months, increasing to AU$77.20 at one point, and dropping to the lows of AU$66.62. 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 Wesfarmers' current trading price of AU$66.82 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Wesfarmers’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

See our latest analysis for Wesfarmers

Is Wesfarmers Still Cheap?

According to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. We’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 29.65x is currently well-above the industry average of 22.71x, meaning that it is trading at a more expensive price relative to its peers. In addition to this, it seems like Wesfarmers’s share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to fall back down to an attractive buying range, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What does the future of Wesfarmers look like?

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. With profit expected to grow by 28% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Wesfarmers. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? WES’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above industry price multiples. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe WES should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on WES for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for WES, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about Wesfarmers as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Wesfarmers and you'll want to know about them.

If you are no longer interested in Wesfarmers, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.