Today we're going to take a look at the well-established China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited (HKG:762). The company's stock saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the SEHK over the last few months. As a large-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Today I will analyse the most recent data on China Unicom (Hong Kong)’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for China Unicom (Hong Kong)

What's the opportunity in China Unicom (Hong Kong)?

According to my relative valuation model, the stock seems to be currently fairly priced. I’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 20.6x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 16.45x, which means if you buy China Unicom (Hong Kong) today, you’d be paying a relatively fair price for it. And if you believe that China Unicom (Hong Kong) should be trading at this level in the long run, there’s only an insignificant downside when the price falls to its real value. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that China Unicom (Hong Kong)’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.

Can we expect growth from China Unicom (Hong Kong)?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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. With profit expected to more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for China Unicom (Hong Kong). 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? 762’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at 762? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the true value?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on 762, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for 762, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on China Unicom (Hong Kong). You can find everything you need to know about China Unicom (Hong Kong) in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in China Unicom (Hong Kong), you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.