Is today’s weakness in the Games Workshop share price a buying prospect?

When a organization has been as prosperous as the FTSE 250’s Online games Workshop (LSE: GAW), it is ok for the chief executive to blow the company’s personal trumpet.

So, I welcome CEO Kevin Rountree’s remarks in today’s fifty percent-yr outcomes report when he declared: “A further cracking performance from a certainly incredible, global workforce.”

He went on to level out the organization has just delivered a “solid” outcome more than the past six months. And that builds on “the great development and lucrative advancement we have been constantly offering in excess of the previous 5 yrs.” 

The Online games Workshop development tale

I agree with every single phrase. The fantasy miniatures producer has developed its organization and revenue in magnificent design. And shareholders will have very little to complain about for the reason that the stock has been a great investment by most measures. Five a long time in the past, for example, the share value stood in the vicinity of 540p. These days, the inventory variations arms near 10,900p.

Growth has been extraordinary and nicely balanced around the period of time. The history demonstrates once-a-year advancements in earnings, earnings, funds flow and shareholder dividends. And the share value rose to mirror the underlying small business progress.

But that wasn’t the only driver, of study course. Whenever a development tale gets to be well known, we are inclined to see a valuation up-rating. And which is precisely what took place with GAW.

Nowadays, the ahead-looking earnings many for the buying and selling year to Could 2022 is about 30. And City analysts have penciled in an earnings improve of all around 8.5% for that calendar year. If we look at well-liked means of analysing advancement shares, one technique compares the fee of earnings expansion to the earnings various. By that evaluate, the shares are commencing to seem high priced.

And that could be one particular explanation the share price tag has slipped back this morning irrespective of the blistering figures the agency just posted. 12 months on 12 months, revenue rose virtually 26% in the 1st 50 percent of the buying and selling calendar year, money from operations state-of-the-art just about 66% and earnings for each share elevated by close to 55%.

A properly-defended trading area of interest

Even so, irrespective of the stock weak point now, GAW has a potent, properly-defended buying and selling area of interest and is growing overseas. In the US, for instance, profits are just about as large as the revenue derived from the British isles and continental Europe. The outlook is positive and the advancement story could have a great deal even further to run.

At the main of its business design, GAW helps make fantasy miniatures for hobbyists to gather. But that would not perform very well unless of course the firm’s consumers had been completely immersed in the fantasy universe and working experience the company has developed in excess of a long time. Indeed, the Warhammer model delivers escapism for an“enthusiastic and faithful admirer base.”

In 1 feeling, the company has created and created its very own sector. And it would seem unlikely any competitor could disrupt GAW’s posture only by throwing cash at the obstacle. Producing a viable competing working experience will possibly take time – a lot of it.

So, shares in Online games Workshop have possible as prolonged as I’m well prepared to play the long game and continue to be invested for several years. And I locate today’s dip in the share rate to be appealing in that context.

Kevin Godbold has no placement in any share mentioned. The Motley Idiot British isles owns shares of Online games Workshop. Views expressed on the businesses talked about in this post are individuals of the writer and thus could differ from the official suggestions we make in our subscription providers these as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Right here at The Motley Fool we think that taking into consideration a various vary of insights helps make us much better buyers.