Is Stabilus S.A. (ETR:STM) Potentially Undervalued?

While Stabilus S.A. (ETR:STM) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the XTRA over the last few months, increasing to €69.50 at one point, and dropping to the lows of €56.40. 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 Stabilus' current trading price of €60.20 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 Stabilus’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 Stabilus

What is Stabilus worth?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. 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 Stabilus’s ratio of 19.39x is trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 19.96x, which means if you buy Stabilus today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Stabilus 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. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Stabilus’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.

What does the future of Stabilus 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. 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 57% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Stabilus. 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? STM’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 STM? 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 tabs on STM, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for STM, which 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.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Stabilus at this point in time. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Stabilus, and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

If you are no longer interested in Stabilus, 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.