Is There Now An Opportunity In Marston's PLC (LON:MARS)?

While Marston's PLC (LON:MARS) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the LSE. With many analysts covering the stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Let’s examine Marston's’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

Check out our latest analysis for Marston's

What's The Opportunity In Marston's?

Good news, investors! Marston's 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 2.33x is currently well-below the industry average of 23.92x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. What’s more interesting is that, Marston's’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.

Can we expect growth from Marston's?

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. Though in the case of Marston's, it is expected to deliver a highly negative earnings growth in the next few years, which doesn’t help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Although MARS is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, the adverse prospect of negative growth brings about some degree of risk. I recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to MARS, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MARS for some time, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current price multiple, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future.

If you want to dive deeper into Marston's, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Marston's (2 are potentially serious!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

If you are no longer interested in Marston's, 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.