Is Pet Valu Holdings Ltd. (TSE:PET) Potentially Undervalued?

While Pet Valu Holdings Ltd. (TSE:PET) might not have the largest market cap around , it saw significant share price movement during recent months on the TSX, rising to highs of CA$27.44 and falling to the lows of CA$24.23. 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 Pet Valu Holdings' current trading price of CA$25.24 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 Pet Valu Holdings’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 Pet Valu Holdings

Is Pet Valu Holdings Still Cheap?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. We find that Pet Valu Holdings’s ratio of 20.59x is trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 18.14x, which means if you buy Pet Valu Holdings today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe that Pet Valu Holdings should be trading at this level in the long run, then there should only be a fairly immaterial downside vs other industry peers. Furthermore, it seems like Pet Valu Holdings’s share price is quite stable, which means there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it’s priced similarly to industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What does the future of Pet Valu Holdings look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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. With profit expected to grow by 36% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Pet Valu Holdings. 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? It seems like the market has already priced in PET’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 PET? 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 PET, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for PET, 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.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Pet Valu Holdings at this point in time. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Pet Valu Holdings.

If you are no longer interested in Pet Valu Holdings, 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.