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Why Future plc (LON:FUTR) Could Be Worth Watching

While Future plc (LON:FUTR) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the LSE over the last few months, increasing to UK£19.71 at one point, and dropping to the lows of UK£12.81. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Future's current trading price of UK£13.90 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Future’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for Future

What's The Opportunity In Future?

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 Future’s ratio of 19.24x is trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 18.91x, which means if you buy Future today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe Future should be trading in this range, then there isn’t really any room for the share price grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. Furthermore, it seems like Future’s share price is quite stable, which means there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it’s priced similarly to industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What does the future of Future look like?

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. With profit expected to grow by 50% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Future. 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 already priced in FUTR’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at FUTR? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

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Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on FUTR, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for FUTR, which means it’s worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Future you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Future, 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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