Is There Now An Opportunity In La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB)?

La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. As a small cap stock, which tends to lack high analyst coverage, there is generally more of an opportunity for mispricing as there is less activity to push the stock closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity here to buy? Let’s examine La-Z-Boy’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for La-Z-Boy

What Is La-Z-Boy Worth?

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 La-Z-Boy’s ratio of 7.15x is trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 6.86x, which means if you buy La-Z-Boy today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe La-Z-Boy 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. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that La-Z-Boy’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 an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What kind of growth will La-Z-Boy generate?

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 a negative profit growth of -14% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn’t appear to be a driver for a buy decision for La-Z-Boy. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Currently, LZB appears to be trading around industry price multiples, 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 LZB, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on LZB 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. In addition to this, 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 LZB should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with La-Z-Boy (including 1 which is significant).

If you are no longer interested in La-Z-Boy, 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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