Why Johnson Matthey Plc (LON:JMAT) Could Be Worth Watching

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Johnson Matthey Plc (LON:JMAT), which is in the chemicals 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. As a mid-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s examine Johnson Matthey’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

See our latest analysis for Johnson Matthey

Is Johnson Matthey still cheap?

Good news, investors! Johnson Matthey is still a bargain right now. 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 Johnson Matthey’s ratio of 19.45x is below its peer average of 26.32x, which suggests the stock is undervalued compared to the Chemicals industry. However, given that Johnson Matthey’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What kind of growth will Johnson Matthey generate?

LSE:JMAT Past and Future Earnings, April 30th 2019
LSE:JMAT Past and Future Earnings, April 30th 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. With profit expected to grow by 51% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Johnson Matthey. 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? Since JMAT is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on JMAT for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy JMAT. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.

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

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.

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. Thank you for reading.

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