While Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) might not have the largest market cap around , it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$12.49 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$7.53. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Herbalife's current trading price of US$7.53 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let's take a look at Herbalife's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

What's The Opportunity In Herbalife?

Great news for investors – Herbalife is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. We've used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there's not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock's ratio of 9.25x is currently well-below the industry average of 20.76x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. However, given that Herbalife'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.

What does the future of Herbalife look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it's the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 60% over the next year, the near-term future seems bright for Herbalife. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Since HLF is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic profit outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on HLF for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its buoyant future profit outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy HLF. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed assessment.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. For example, Herbalife has 4 warning signs (and 2 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Herbalife, 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.