Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine Whitbread plc (LON:WTB)?

While Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) might not have the largest market cap around , it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the LSE over the last few months, increasing to UK£36.76 at one point, and dropping to the lows of UK£31.52. 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 Whitbread's current trading price of UK£32.27 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 Whitbread’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for Whitbread

What Is Whitbread Worth?

According to our valuation model, the stock is currently overvalued by about 36%, trading at UK£32.27 compared to our intrinsic value of £23.66. This means that the buying opportunity has probably disappeared for now. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Given that Whitbread’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 another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of Whitbread 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 37% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Whitbread. 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? WTB’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 WTB 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 tabs on WTB for some time, 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 WTB, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Whitbread and we think they deserve your attention.

If you are no longer interested in Whitbread, 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.