Is Now The Time To Look At Buying Bodycote plc (LON:BOY)?

Bodycote plc (LON:BOY), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. The recent share price gains has brought the company back closer to its yearly peak. As a stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Let’s take a look at Bodycote’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Bodycote

What's The Opportunity In Bodycote?

According to our valuation model, Bodycote seems to be fairly priced at around 19% below our intrinsic value, which means if you buy Bodycote today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe the company’s true value is £8.61, then there’s not much of an upside to gain from mispricing. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Bodycote’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 Bodycote?

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 32% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Bodycote. 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? BOY’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. 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 the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on BOY, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for the company, 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 if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Bodycote has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore this.

If you are no longer interested in Bodycote, 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.