I don’t want to miss out on this cheap growth stock

Oliver Rodzianko has been looking for a new growth stock. Here’s one he thinks is definitely a contender for his portfolio right now.

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I think this growth stock could be a great addition to my current set of investments. Its financials, including its revenue growth and margins, are really promising to me. Also, I think it could be considered undervalued right now.

Of course, there are some risks, and I’ll explain the ones I’ve identified.

But overall, I’m quite confident in this company. Here are the main reasons why.

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What is it?

The company in question is Frasers Group (LSE:FRAS).

The firm is known for its sports and leisure retail chains. For example, it owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser, Flannels and Jack Wills.

It also owns brands like Everlast, No Fear, and Slazenger.

While the management has primarily focused on the UK, it is also expanding internationally.

Frasers continues to make acquisitions of companies and brands to diversify its business portfolio. It also has investments in retail and non-retail properties.

It’s worth noting the firm has been in the news for concerns over its zero-hour contracts and working conditions. That’s a risk for me as a potential investor, as a company’s financials can always be affected by operational shifts forced by legal pressures.

The financials that are crucial to me

First of all, I think it’s important I get some perspective on the share price. It hasn’t been a smooth ride thus far:

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Frasers Group Plc PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALL1 Jan 201431 Jan 2024Zoom ▾201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242014201420162016201820182020202020222022www.fool.co.uk

However, things look on the up over the last five years:

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Frasers Group Plc PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALLwww.fool.co.uk

Significantly, over the last three years, the firm has reported a 16% revenue growth rate on average.

Also, it boasts a net margin of 9.40% now, which is pretty good compared to a sector median of 2. That’s based on data from 1,105 companies in the retail industry.

Also, a nice price-to-earnings ratio of around 7 makes the shares look quite appealing to me.

Cheap and growing seems the best of both worlds.

The risks I’ve noted

While the growth, profitability and value of the investment look promising to me, I’m not convinced the balance sheet is as stable as it could be.

It’s imperative that a firm doesn’t have too many debts. Particularly because if hard economic times hit, too many liabilities can mean it has less room to protect itself and would need to sell more assets to raise the necessary cash. That can seriously affect the organisation’s growth.

At the moment, it has 63% of its assets taken up by liabilities. That’s not terrible, but there’s room for improvement for sure.

Additionally, the company doesn’t pay a dividend at all right now. While it has previously, like between 2007 and 2010, it hasn’t since.

A lack of a dividend can mean a little more risk in relying solely on the share price growing for profit.

I might buy it

This is quite a well-known company, and I’m certainly not the first to notice its worth.

However, popular investments can be some of the best. Frasers looks like one of these to me.

What I really need is time to decide. I have a lot on my watchlist right now.

Nonetheless, this investment seems like a great and relatively low-risk way to diversify my portfolio away from technology, where I invest most of my money.

I could see myself buying the shares in the next few months.

Like buying £1 for 31p

This seems ridiculous, but we almost never see shares looking this cheap. Yet this Share Advisor pick has a price/book ratio of 0.31. In plain English, this means that investors effectively get in on a business that holds £1 of assets for every 31p they invest!

Of course, this is the stock market where money is always at risk — these valuations can change and there are no guarantees. But some risks are a LOT more interesting than others, and at The Motley Fool we believe this company is amongst them.

What’s more, it currently boasts a stellar dividend yield of around 10%, and right now it’s possible for investors to jump aboard at near-historic lows. Want to get the name for yourself?

See the full investment case

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Oliver Rodzianko has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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