At UK£3.16, Is DS Smith Plc (LON:SMDS) Worth Looking At Closely?

DS Smith Plc (LON:SMDS), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. Shareholders may appreciate the recent price jump, but the company still has a way to go before reaching its yearly highs again. With many analysts covering the mid-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today we will analyse the most recent data on DS Smith’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for DS Smith

Is DS Smith Still Cheap?

Great news for investors – DS Smith is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. we find that DS Smith’s ratio of 9.4x is below its peer average of 12.35x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Packaging industry. DS Smith’s share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. If you believe the share price should eventually reach its industry peers, a low beta could suggest it is unlikely to rapidly do so anytime soon, and once it’s there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range.

What kind of growth will DS Smith generate?

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. Though in the case of DS Smith, it is expected to deliver a negative earnings growth of -15%, which doesn’t help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Although SMDS is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, the negative profit outlook does bring on some uncertainty, which equates to higher risk. We recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to SMDS, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on SMDS for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, we recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current price multiple, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future.

If you want to dive deeper into DS Smith, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. Be aware that DS Smith is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those is potentially serious...

If you are no longer interested in DS Smith, 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.