Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (NSE:BHEL)?

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (NSE:BHEL), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the NSEI. As a ₹276b market-cap stock, it seems odd Bharat Heavy Electricals is not more well-covered by analysts. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing given that there are less eyes on the stock to push it closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Bharat Heavy Electricals’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for Bharat Heavy Electricals

What Is Bharat Heavy Electricals Worth?

Bharat Heavy Electricals appears to be expensive according to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that Bharat Heavy Electricals’s ratio of 36.12x is above its peer average of 22.1x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Electrical industry. Another thing to keep in mind is that Bharat Heavy Electricals’s share price is quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards the levels of its industry peers over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once it’s there, it may be hard for it to fall back down into an attractive buying range again.

Can we expect growth from Bharat Heavy Electricals?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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 revenues expected to grow by a double-digit 20% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Bharat Heavy Electricals. If the level of expenses is able to be maintained, 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? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in BHEL’s positive outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe BHEL should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio 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 an eye on BHEL for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for BHEL, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Bharat Heavy Electricals you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Bharat Heavy Electricals, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.