At UK£21.11, Is It Time To Put Persimmon Plc (LON:PSN) On Your Watch List?

Persimmon Plc (LON:PSN), is not the largest company out there, but it saw significant share price movement during recent months on the LSE, rising to highs of UK£24.72 and falling to the lows of UK£20.32. 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 Persimmon's current trading price of UK£21.11 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Persimmon’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 Persimmon

Is Persimmon 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 8.56x is currently trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 9.95x, which means if you buy Persimmon today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Persimmon 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. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Persimmon’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

What kind of growth will Persimmon generate?

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 a relatively muted profit growth of 3.2% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Persimmon, at least in the short term.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in PSN’s growth 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 PSN? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on PSN, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive growth outlook may mean it’s worth diving deeper into other factors 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. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Persimmon, and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

If you are no longer interested in Persimmon, 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.