Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    8,433.76
    +52.41 (+0.63%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    20,645.38
    +114.08 (+0.56%)
     
  • AIM

    789.87
    +6.17 (+0.79%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1622
    +0.0011 (+0.09%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2525
    +0.0001 (+0.01%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    48,603.21
    -1,599.11 (-3.19%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,261.36
    -96.65 (-7.12%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,222.68
    +8.60 (+0.16%)
     
  • DOW

    39,512.84
    +125.08 (+0.32%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    78.20
    -1.06 (-1.34%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,366.90
    +26.60 (+1.14%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    38,229.11
    +155.13 (+0.41%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    18,963.68
    +425.87 (+2.30%)
     
  • DAX

    18,772.85
    +86.25 (+0.46%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,219.14
    +31.49 (+0.38%)
     

Is There Now An Opportunity In easyJet plc (LON:EZJ)?

easyJet plc (LON:EZJ), which is in the airlines business, and is based in United Kingdom, saw a significant share price rise of over 20% 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. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s examine easyJet’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for easyJet

What is easyJet worth?

easyJet 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 easyJet’s ratio of 22.02x is above its peer average of 8.37x, which suggests the stock is overvalued compared to the Airlines industry. Furthermore, easyJet’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.

Can we expect growth from easyJet?

LSE:EZJ Past and Future Earnings, October 9th 2019
LSE:EZJ Past and Future Earnings, October 9th 2019

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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 more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for easyJet. 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 EZJ’s positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe EZJ 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on EZJ for some time, 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 EZJ, 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 easyJet. You can find everything you need to know about easyJet in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in easyJet, 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.