What Does Bega Cheese Limited's (ASX:BGA) Share Price Indicate?

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Bega Cheese Limited (ASX:BGA), which is in the food business, and is based in Australia, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the ASX over the last few months, increasing to AU$4.79 at one point, and dropping to the lows of AU$3.57. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Bega Cheese's current trading price of AU$3.81 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Bega Cheese’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

See our latest analysis for Bega Cheese

What's the opportunity in Bega Cheese?

Bega Cheese is currently overpriced based on my relative valuation model. 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 Bega Cheese’s ratio of 66.8x is above its peer average of 22.73x, which suggests the stock is overvalued compared to the Food industry. Furthermore, Bega Cheese’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 true value, 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 Bega Cheese generate?

ASX:BGA Past and Future Earnings, December 15th 2019
ASX:BGA Past and Future Earnings, December 15th 2019

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. Bega Cheese’s earnings over the next few years are expected to double, indicating a very optimistic future ahead. This should lead to stronger cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in BGA’s positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe BGA should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value 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 BGA 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 optimistic prospect is encouraging for BGA, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on Bega Cheese. You can find everything you need to know about Bega Cheese in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Bega Cheese, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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