Should You Think About Buying Mitchells & Butlers plc (LON:MAB) Now?

Mitchells & Butlers plc (LON:MAB), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. As a mid-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Mitchells & Butlers’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for Mitchells & Butlers

What is Mitchells & Butlers worth?

According to my valuation model, Mitchells & Butlers seems to be fairly priced at around 8.3% below my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Mitchells & Butlers today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe the company’s true value is £3.44, then there’s not much of an upside to gain from mispricing. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Mitchells & Butlers’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 Mitchells & Butlers 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. In the upcoming year, Mitchells & Butlers' earnings are expected to increase by 70%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in MAB’s positive outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. 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 the stock? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuates below the true value?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MAB, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for the company, 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.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. For example, we've found that Mitchells & Butlers has 2 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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