At UK£2.26, Is SThree plc (LON:STEM) Worth Looking At Closely?
SThree plc (LON:STEM), which is in the professional services business, and is based in United Kingdom, saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the LSE. With many analysts covering the stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at SThree’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.
Check out our latest analysis for SThree
What's the opportunity in SThree?
According to my valuation model, SThree seems to be fairly priced at around 2.31% above my intrinsic value, which means if you buy SThree today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe that the stock is really worth £2.20, there’s only an insignificant downside when the price falls to its real value. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since SThree’s share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.
Can we expect growth from SThree?
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. 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. However, with a negative profit growth of -14% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn’t appear to be a driver for a buy decision for SThree. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? STEM seems fairly priced right now, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to de-risk your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock beneficial for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on the stock, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on STEM for a while, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. The price seems to be trading at fair value, which means there’s less benefit from mispricing. Furthermore, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help gel your views on STEM should the price fluctuate below its true value.
Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on SThree. You can find everything you need to know about SThree in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in SThree, 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.
