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Is It Time To Consider Buying Hays plc (LON:HAS)?

Hays plc (LON:HAS), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the LSE over the last few months. 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 take a look at Hays’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Hays

Is Hays Still Cheap?

Good news, investors! Hays is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is £1.88, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Hays’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.

Can we expect growth from Hays?

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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 relatively muted profit growth of 7.1% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Hays, at least in the short term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since HAS is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

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Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on HAS for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy HAS. 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 buy.

So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Hays (1 is a bit unpleasant) you should be familiar with.

If you are no longer interested in Hays, 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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