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Is Umicore SA (EBR:UMI) Potentially Undervalued?

Umicore SA (EBR:UMI), which is in the chemicals business, and is based in Belgium, saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the ENXTBR. 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, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Umicore’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Umicore

Is Umicore still cheap?

Umicore appears to be overvalued according to 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 Umicore’s ratio of 26.28x is above its peer average of 15.35x, which suggests the stock is overvalued compared to the Chemicals industry. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Umicore’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. 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 kind of growth will Umicore generate?

ENXTBR:UMI Past and Future Earnings, September 18th 2019
ENXTBR:UMI Past and Future Earnings, September 18th 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 47% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Umicore. 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 UMI’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 UMI 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.

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Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on UMI for a while, 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 positive outlook is encouraging for UMI, 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 Umicore. You can find everything you need to know about Umicore in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Umicore, 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.