At CA$120, Is Mainstreet Equity Corp. (TSE:MEQ) Worth Looking At Closely?

While Mainstreet Equity Corp. (TSE:MEQ) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it saw significant share price movement during recent months on the TSX, rising to highs of CA$129 and falling to the lows of CA$111. 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 Mainstreet Equity's current trading price of CA$120 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 Mainstreet Equity’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 Mainstreet Equity

Is Mainstreet Equity 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. I’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 10.76x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 7.07x, which means if you buy Mainstreet Equity today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe that Mainstreet Equity should be trading at this level in the long run, then there should only be a fairly immaterial downside vs other industry peers. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Mainstreet Equity’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

Can we expect growth from Mainstreet Equity?

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. However, with an extremely negative double-digit change in profit expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Mainstreet Equity, at least in the near future.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Currently, MEQ appears to be trading around industry price multiples, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to reduce the risk in your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock optimal for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on MEQ, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MEQ for a while, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. This means there’s less benefit from mispricing. Furthermore, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help crystallize your views on MEQ should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Be aware that Mainstreet Equity is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis and 2 of those are a bit unpleasant...

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

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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.