Yahoo Finance Why Deutsche Post AG (ETR:DPW) Could Be Worth Watching
Let's talk about the popular Deutsche Post AG (ETR:DPW). The company's shares saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the XTRA. As a large-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 Deutsche Post’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.
See our latest analysis for Deutsche Post
Is Deutsche Post Still Cheap?
The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. 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 Deutsche Post’s ratio of 7.97x is trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 8.79x, which means if you buy Deutsche Post today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Deutsche Post should be trading at this level in the long run, then there’s not much of an upside to gain over and above other industry peers. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Deutsche Post’s share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. 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 Deutsche Post look like?
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. However, with a negative profit growth of -7.0% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn’t appear to be a driver for a buy decision for Deutsche Post. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.
What This Means For You
Are you a shareholder? DPW seems priced close to industry peers right now, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to reduce the risk in your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock optimal for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on DPW, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on DPW for a while, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. This means there’s less benefit from mispricing. Furthermore, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help gel your views on DPW should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio.
With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Deutsche Post and you'll want to know about it.
If you are no longer interested in Deutsche Post, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
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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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