At UK£4.50, Is Robert Walters plc (LON:RWA) Worth Looking At Closely?

Robert Walters plc (LON:RWA), is not the largest company out there, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the LSE over the last few months. As a stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Robert Walters’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Robert Walters

Is Robert Walters still cheap?

Good news, investors! Robert Walters is still a bargain right now according to my price multiple model, which compares the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 14.7x is currently well-below the industry average of 28.4x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. What’s more interesting is that, Robert Walters’s share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. 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.

What does the future of Robert Walters look like?

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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. However, with a relatively muted profit growth of 6.4% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Robert Walters, at least in the short term.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since RWA is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

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

So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Robert Walters.

If you are no longer interested in Robert Walters, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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. 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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