Should You Think About Buying Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) Now?

Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF). The company's stock saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. As a large-cap 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 examine Associated British Foods’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

See our latest analysis for Associated British Foods

Is Associated British Foods still cheap?

Great news for investors – Associated British Foods is still trading at a fairly cheap price. My valuation model shows that the intrinsic value for the stock is £29.64, but it is currently trading at UK£20.57 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Associated British Foods’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.

Can we expect growth from Associated British Foods?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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 more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Associated British Foods. 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? Since ABF is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on ABF for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its prosperous future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy ABF. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed buy.

Since timing is quite important when it comes to individual stock picking, it's worth taking a look at what those latest analysts forecasts are. Luckily, you can check out what analysts are forecasting by clicking here.

If you are no longer interested in Associated British Foods, 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.