These 12 Nifty stocks trading at discount to 5-yr avg P/E; time to buy?

Experts advise investors to use the stocks as a filter to shortlist names, but they should combine it with their own study by understanding the fundamentals of the company and the impact of external environment on the demand scenario.

“The 5-year historical average P/E can be one of the key criteria to look at before investing in any stock. However, the key is to avoid buying the falling knife and do more research to understand industry dynamics and fundamentals of the companies,” Ajit Mishra, Vice President, Research, Religare Broking Ltd told Moneycontrol.

“For instance, apart from facing a slowdown in their respective industries, companies like Sun Pharma, Indiabulls Housing are also witnessing pressure due to on-going corporate governance issues and hence fresh investments at this juncture may not be a good decision,” he said.

Table: 12 stocks that are trading cheap. Please note the given list is for reference and not specifically buy or sell ideas. 

Mishra said despite a good quarter, Ze Ent is likely to remain under pressure as the recent deal for stake sale did not satisfy the investors. On the contrary, auto stocks like M&M, Eicher, etc. are facing the brunt of the slowdown in the automobile industry.

He likes ONGC and GAIL that look good from a long-term perspective, however, these stocks may remain under pressure in the near term due to subdued performance in Q1FY20.

“IndusInd Bank may remain under watch for few months post its acquisition of Bharat Financial Inclusion and hence fresh investments should be done on dips and not at current levels,” added Mishra.

Stocks trading above 5-year Avg PE

There are 10 Nifty stocks that are trading above 5-year average that include Britannia, Wipro, Infosys, HDFC, HUL, Asian Paints, TCS, Titan, RIL and Bajaj Finance.

Most of the above-mentioned stocks have shown steady growth record and quality management makes them attractive bet even at high valuations, suggest experts. Booking profits is not advisable.

“Nifty is already down 1,000 points from its peak. Booking profits in such stocks is not advisable. It is late now, better to wait for Nifty to rally to 11,500, which is 50 percent retracement from of the entire fall,” Umesh Mehta, Head of Research, SAMCO Securities told Moneycontrol.

Experts further say that valuation expansion will happen when growth in business has hastened, margins have expanded, revenue and margin visibility has improved for the company.

“These businesses have prudent management, strong promoter track record and sound long-term growth prospects that can fetch healthy returns over the long term. These stocks are likely to trade at a premium valuation given a consistent performance as well as market leadership in their respective industries,” said Mishra of Religare Broking Ltd.

He further added that these blue-chip names should form a part of the investor’s portfolio. “We believe investors should not book profits in these stocks as the investments could grow substantially over a long-term,” he said.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.