What Does Hays plc's (LON:HAS) Share Price Indicate?

Hays plc (LON:HAS), is not the largest company out there, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the LSE over the last few months, increasing to UK£1.08 at one point, and dropping to the lows of UK£0.89. 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 Hays' current trading price of UK£0.94 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 Hays’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Check out our latest analysis for Hays

What's The Opportunity In Hays?

The stock is currently trading at UK£0.94 on the share market, which means it is overvalued by 35% compared to our intrinsic value of £0.70. This means that the opportunity to buy Hays at a good price has disappeared! If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Since Hays’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What does the future of Hays 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. 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 32% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Hays. 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? HAS’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe HAS should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value 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 HAS for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means there’s no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for HAS, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you want to dive deeper into Hays, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Hays.

If you are no longer interested in Hays, 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.

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