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

Workers at Whiting refinery, US
Investing Articles

Why is everyone selling BP shares?

BP shares have been some of the most sold in the last week. What's going on here? And could this…

Read more »

DIVIDEND YIELD text written on a notebook with chart
Investing Articles

Is this market correction a once-in-a-decade chance to buy ultra-high-yield income stocks?

As share prices fall, dividend yields rise. The FTSE 100 is full of top income stocks and Harvey Jones says…

Read more »

This way, That way, The other way - pointing in different directions
Investing Articles

Down 25% in a month! Are these the 3 best stocks to buy in today’s correction… or the worst?

Harvey Jones examines whether the best stocks to buy today can all be found in the FTSE 100 sector that…

Read more »

Young mixed-race couple sat on the beach looking out over the sea
Investing Articles

This FTSE small-cap stock can surge 105%, says one broker

Ben McPoland highlights a FTSE small-cap share that's trading cheaply and offering a dividend for the first time since 2019.

Read more »

A mature adult sitting by a fireplace in a living room at home. She is wearing a yellow cardigan and spectacles.
Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in ultra-high yield Legal & General shares on 5 April last year is now worth…

Investors typically buy Legal & General shares for the dividend income, as they now yield more than 8.5%. But will…

Read more »

Modern apartments on both side of river Irwell passing through Manchester city centre, UK.
Investing Articles

With an empty ISA today, how long would it take to aim for a million?

Is it realistic to aim for a million with an empty ISA? Our writer turns from fantasy to facts to…

Read more »

Burst your bubble thumbtack and balloon background
Investing Articles

What on earth’s going on with the Helium One share price?

The Helium One share price rally has stalled. Our writer reflects on the reasons and asks whether now could be…

Read more »

Female student sitting at the steps and using laptop
Investing Articles

Getting started with investing? Here are 3 UK stocks to take a look at

The next time the stock market opens, it will be the new financial year. And Stephen Wright has three UK…

Read more »