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Is Now The Time To Look At Buying Greencore Group plc (LON:GNC)?

While Greencore Group plc (LON:GNC) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. As a 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 Greencore Group’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

Check out our latest analysis for Greencore Group

What's The Opportunity In Greencore Group?

According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 11.41x is currently trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 12.79x, which means if you buy Greencore Group today, you’d be paying a decent price for it. And if you believe Greencore Group should be trading in this range, then there isn’t much room for the share price to grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Greencore Group’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.

What does the future of Greencore Group look like?

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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. 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. Greencore Group's earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 69%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in GNC’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at GNC? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

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Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on GNC, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for GNC, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about Greencore Group as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Greencore Group you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Greencore Group, 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.

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