Are Rolls-Royce Holding plc, J Sainsbury plc and WM Morrison Supermarkets plc value plays or value traps?

Should you buy or sell these 3 cheap stocks? Rolls-Royce Holding plc (LON: RR), J Sainsbury plc (LON: SBRY) and WM Morrison Supermarkets plc (LON: MRW).

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

With shares in Morrisons (LSE: MRW) trading on a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 0.6, they appear to offer excellent value for money. That’s not to say Morrisons is without risk. The UK supermarket sector continues to offer a highly uncertain outlook, with the likes of Aldi and Lidl grabbing market share from their larger rivals. However, Morrisons seems to have a sound strategy through which to grow its earnings and post a rising share price.

For example, it’s focusing on core activities and is seeking to leverage its status as a major food producer. The latter has involved doing a deal with Amazon to provide food for its grocery delivery offering, while the former has meant a pullback from the convenience store segment which proved relatively unpopular for Morrisons.

Although Morrisons is by no means the finished article and is arguably riskier than many of its index peers, it seems to offer a sufficiently wide margin of safety to merit investment.

Strategy shift

Similarly, Sainsbury’s (LSE: SBRY) faces an uncertain external environment. However, like Morrisons it seems to have adopted a strategy which should return its bottom line to growth over the medium term.

For starters, it’s moving away from its price match campaign. While helpful in shoring up sales during a severe downturn for the UK economy, with wages growing faster than inflation Sainsbury’s could be set to benefit from an economic tailwind over the coming years. As such, its decision to instead offer a simplified pricing structure should prove popular with customers and allow Sainsbury’s to differentiate on quality and convenience rather than solely on price.

Furthermore, Sainsbury’s is also attempting to purchase Home Retail Group. The deal could provide Sainsbury’s with major cross-selling opportunities as well as a considerable amount of synergies. Therefore, Sainsbury’s seems to be a worthy purchase at the moment – especially while it has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of only 12.5.

New team

Meanwhile, shares in Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR) have tumbled by 38% in the last year after it released a profit warning. In fact, the industrial major is expected to report a fall in its bottom line of 58% in the current year following last year’s 10% decline in earnings. This clearly has the potential to cause investor sentiment to come under pressure in the coming months, meaning that Rolls-Royce’s share price could come under greater pressure.

However, with Rolls-Royce having a new management team and a new strategy, it’s expected to record a rise in earnings of 36% next year. This puts it on a PEG ratio of only 0.5 and with there being the potential for a bid from a larger defence sector peer, Rolls-Royce could be a sound long-term buy that delivers stunning share price gains.

Peter Stephens owns shares of Morrisons and Sainsbury (J). The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Amazon.com. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

£15,240 saved in a Cash ISA in 2016 is now worth…

Harvey Jones shows how much money the average Cash ISA would have returned over the last decade, and how stocks…

Read more »

Two gay men are walking through a Victorian shopping arcade
Investing Articles

2 stupidly cheap shares to consider buying now to try and make a million

Harvey Jones picks out two cheap shares from the FTSE 100 that remain astonishingly good value despite their recent strong…

Read more »

Investing Articles

How much £18,750 invested 9 years ago in a Stocks and Shares ISA is worth today…

Harvey Jones says today could prove a brilliant opportunity to buy cut-price companies inside a Stocks and Shares ISA. He…

Read more »

Wall Street sign in New York City
Investing Articles

Is the S&P 500’s growth sustainable? Here’s what UK investors should watch

As major S&P 500 tech giants prepare to report earnings this week, Mark Hartley takes a look at the risks…

Read more »

Portrait of pensive bearded senior looking on screen of laptop sitting at table with coffee cup.
Investing Articles

I put £1,125 into this ‘boring’ FTSE 100 stock for £99 in passive income

Ben McPoland invested in this FTSE 100 stock before it went ex-dividend last week. But it's gone nowhere for years.…

Read more »

Friends at the bay near the village of Diabaig on the side of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross, Scotland. They are taking a break from their bike ride to relax and chat. They are laughing together.
Investing Articles

Got an ISA? Here are 2 stocks to consider buying as the global fitness trend takes off

Looking for growth stocks to buy today? Our writer highlights two that he's recently added to his Stocks and Shares…

Read more »

A young Asian woman holding up her index finger
Investing Articles

£3,000 invested in Amazon stock 1 month ago is now worth…

Amazon stock has surged over the last month. It appears that investors are waking up to the significant long-term growth…

Read more »

Business manager working at a pub doing the accountancy and some paperwork using a laptop computer
Growth Shares

£2k invested in Greggs shares at the start of the year is currently worth…

Jon Smith explains how an investment in Greggs' shares from the start of 2026 is performing, alongside sharing his view…

Read more »