Is Lok'nStore Group Plc's (LON:LOK) Stock Available For A Good Price After Accounting For Growth?

Lok'nStore Group Plc (LON:LOK) is a stock well-positioned for future growth, but many investors are wondering whether its last closing price of £4.025 is based on unrealistic expectations. Let’s take a look at some key metrics to determine whether there's any value here for current and potential future investors.

Check out our latest analysis for Lok'nStore Group

What can we expect from LOK in the future?

Investors in Lok'nStore Group have been patiently waiting for the uptick in earnings. If you believe the analysts covering the stock then the following year will be very interesting. Analyst expectations are buoyant with earnings forecasted to rise significantly from today's level of £0.130 to £0.181 over the next three years. On average, this leads to a growth rate of 12% each year, which signals a market-beating outlook in the upcoming years.

Is LOK available at a good price after accounting for its growth?

Lok'nStore Group is looking rather expensive based on its price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 30.85x. This illustrates that Lok'nStore Group is overvalued compared to the GB market average ratio of 15.62x , and overvalued based on current earnings compared to the Real Estate industry average of 8.96x .

We understand LOK seems to be overvalued based on its current earnings, compared to its industry peers. But, seeing as Lok'nStore Group is perceived as a high-growth stock, we must also account for its earnings growth, which is captured in the PEG ratio. A PE ratio of 30.85x and expected year-on-year earnings growth of 12% give Lok'nStore Group a quite high PEG ratio of 2.61x. So, when we include the growth factor in our analysis, Lok'nStore Group appears overvalued , based on the fundamentals.

What this means for you:

LOK's current overvaluation could signal a potential selling opportunity to reduce your exposure to the stock, or it you're a potential investor, now may not be the right time to buy. However, basing your investment decision off one metric alone is certainly not sufficient. There are many things I have not taken into account in this article and the PEG ratio is very one-dimensional. If you have not done so already, I urge you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:

1. Financial Health: Are LOK’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.
2. Past Track Record: Has LOK been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of LOK's historicals for more clarity.
3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.