Cheap UK shares: this FTSE 100 company looks a bargain to me

Thanks to an unsettling US election, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, there are still plenty of cheap shares in the UK market. As such, I think there’s lots of money to be made by buying low and adopting a medium-to-long-term perspective. The trick is learning to distinguish the wheat from the chaff. 

One example of the former could be Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF).

Cheap UK shares

It’s easy to see why investors have been running from the £13bn-cap owner of Primark. Like many, the FTSE 100 company was hit hard by the first lockdown and the dramatic slowdown in retail sales. The second UK lockdown just makes things worse.

When combined with restrictions elsewhere in Europe, 57% of ABF’s total selling space is now temporarily closed. This will likely lose the company an estimated £375m in sales.

Notwithstanding this, ABF would be one of the very few retailers I’d consider buying at the current time. 

For one, the FTSE 100 giant is much more than Primark. The company actually has its fingers in a number of different sector pies, including sugar, agriculture, and ingredients. Now, this diversification won’t guarantee the share price won’t have further to fall, but it does make ABF a more defensive option than your typical listed retailer. It also goes some way to making up for the fact that budget-focused Primark doesn’t sell online.

Another reason to suggest now might be a good time to buy into ABF is that finances still look pretty solid. At the end of its last financial year (mid-September), the company had net cash before lease liabilities of £1.56bn. That’s a far better position compared to others in the market’s top tier.  

Trading at under 15 times earnings, ABF hasn’t been this much of a bargain for a while. Since clothes will always need replacing (and Primark’s value offering should appeal to shoppers during recessionary times), these cheap UK shares look to be anything but a value trap.  

Undervalued

Another stock that I think is too cheap right now is soft drinks company Nichols (LSE: NICL).

Sure, recent trading hasn’t been great. Like others in the space, Nichols has seen revenue and profits tumble over 2020. This has been due to lockdowns and the closure of shops and travel concessions that sell its drinks. Seen in this context, the fall of the Vimto-owner’s share price back to where it was during March’s market crash does make some sense. 

Like ABF however, I think there are reasons to be optimistic. The reinstatement of dividends back in June certainly smacks of confidence. I think it’s unlikely new CEO Andrew Milne would want to reverse that decision when he takes over the reins in January. The small-cap’s balance sheet is also in great shape. Nichols had almost £47m net cash in June.

A forecast price-to-earnings ratio of 16 for FY21 might not scream value but it’s important to put this in perspective. For years, Nichols traded far above this level, and justifiably so. Operating margins and returns on capital employed have long been consistently high.

Admittedly, I’m biased. I’ve held the stock for years. But I see the current price weakness as an opportunity rather than something to ruminate on. News of a falling infection rate and/or vaccine breakthrough could see these cheap shares fizz back to form.