While Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) might not have the largest market cap around , it saw a significant share price rise of 26% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. While good news for shareholders, the company has traded much higher in the past year. With many analysts covering the mid-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s examine Lear’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.
Great news for investors – Lear is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company’s price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. we find that Lear’s ratio of 10.63x is below its peer average of 13.86x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Auto Components industry. What’s more interesting is that, Lear’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.
View our latest analysis for Lear
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. Lear’s earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 65%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.
Are you a shareholder? Since LEA is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic profit outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. 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 LEA for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future profit outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy LEA. 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 investment decision.
Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it’s worth noting the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we’ve spotted 3 warning signs for Lear you should know about.
If you are no longer interested in Lear, 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.