Is There Now An Opportunity In Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:HLAG)?

Let's talk about the popular Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:HLAG). The company's shares saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the XTRA. The recent rally in share prices has nudged the company in the right direction, though it still falls short of its yearly peak. 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, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s examine Hapag-Lloyd’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

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Is Hapag-Lloyd Still Cheap?

According to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. 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 Hapag-Lloyd’s ratio of 9.97x is above its peer average of 6.41x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Shipping industry. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Hapag-Lloyd’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

See our latest analysis for Hapag-Lloyd

What does the future of Hapag-Lloyd 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. 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. However, with an extremely negative double-digit change in profit expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Hapag-Lloyd, at least in the near future.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? If you believe HLAG should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. Given the risk from a negative growth outlook, this could be the right time to de-risk your portfolio. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on HLAG for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has climbed past its industry peers, in addition to a risky future outlook. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management. Should the price fall in the future, will you be well-informed enough to buy?

If you want to dive deeper into Hapag-Lloyd, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, we've found that Hapag-Lloyd has 2 warning signs (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

If you are no longer interested in Hapag-Lloyd, 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.