Could the share prices of these two ASX shares offer tasty returns, or are these food stocks going to sour further?
COVID-19 has impacted various elements of the food economy for a long time. The share prices of these two businesses have dropped in recent months. This raises the question – are they now looking like opportunities?
Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING)
Inghams is one of the largest suppliers of poultry products to Australia.
Since the end of September 2021, the Inghams share price has fallen by around 18%.
Analysts like the ones at Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) thinks that COVID impacts will hurt underlying profit in FY22. The broker thinks that Inghams' profit could decline by mid-single digits in FY22 because of impacts like lockdowns and higher feed costs.
However, there is one broker that is very positive about the ASX share – Citi. It thinks that that the company will be able to pass on higher prices to consumers in the coming months. The broker notes that poultry volumes in Australia saw growth in the three months to September 2021, which seemingly would suggest optimistic things for Inghams.
Based on Citi's numbers, the Inghams share price is valued at 13x FY22's estimated earnings. Turning to the potential dividend, the broker has estimated that Inghams could have a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.6%. The price target is $4.55.
Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd. (ASX: DMP)
Domino's is one of the largest fast food businesses in Australia, as well as several other countries. It's now in several European countries as well as Japan and Taiwan.
However, the Domino's share price has dropped 29% since the middle of September 2021.
The broker Morgans has a price target on the fast food business of $135, which suggests a potential increase of the Domino's share price of around 15% over the next year.
In a trading update released at the annual general meeting (AGM), Domino's said that in the first 18 weeks of FY22, network sales were up 8%, with same store sales (SSS) rising by 4.3%. Domino's called this growth strong during difficult and uncertain times.
However, sales growth has been uneven across different regions. Japan was seeing negative sales after lockdowns ended, meaning it may not beat FY21's Japanese earnings in FY22. However, Japanese store openings remain "very strong".
The ASX share is planning to add a record number of stores in FY22, by adding the equivalent of more than one store each day.
The company is experiencing inflation in a few of its cost areas including energy and food.
Its three to five year outlook was unchanged, with same store sales growth of 3% to 6%, new store openings of 9% to 12% and net capital expenditure of between $100 million to $150 million.
Looking at broker expectations, the Domino's share price is valued at 50x FY22's estimated earnings and 41x FY23's estimated earnings. The current rating on Domino's by Morgans is a hold.
