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What Manchester United (MANU) shareholders may focus on now
With no single headline event setting the tone, Manchester United (MANU) shares have quietly moved higher in the past month, alongside a mixed return profile over the past 3 months and year.
See our latest analysis for Manchester United.
At a share price of $17.64, Manchester United’s recent 11.22% 1 month share price return builds on an 11.79% year to date gain. However, the 3 year total shareholder return of 21.81% and 1 year total shareholder return of 9.63% point to relatively modest momentum overall rather than a strong trend.
If this kind of move has you thinking about where else the market might be pricing in potential shifts in sentiment, it could be a good time to scan fast growing stocks with high insider ownership.
With Manchester United trading at $17.64, screening with a low value score of 2 and showing an estimated intrinsic discount of around 20%, you have to ask: is this a genuine opportunity, or is the market already factoring in future growth?
Preferred Price-to-Sales of 3.3x: Is it justified?
On a P/S of 3.3x, Manchester United screens as expensive relative to both its Entertainment peers and the level our fair value work suggests could be more balanced.
The P/S ratio compares the company’s market value to its annual revenue. At 3.3x, investors are paying a little over three times Manchester United’s $663.8m of sales for each share’s slice of the business.
For a company that is currently loss making, a higher P/S can signal that the market is comfortable focusing on revenue scale and future earnings potential rather than present profitability, but the data here tells a mixed story.
Manchester United’s 3.3x P/S stands at roughly double the US Entertainment industry average of 1.6x, and it is also above the peer average of 2.0x. Our fair P/S estimate of 2.2x sits noticeably lower than the current multiple, which points to a level the market could move toward if sentiment around growth, profitability or balance sheet strength cools.
Explore the SWS fair ratio for Manchester United
Result: Price-to-Sales of 3.3x (OVERVALUED)
However, you also have to keep an eye on risks like continued losses, with net income at a $40.992m loss, or any cooling in revenue growth, which is currently 8.11%.
Find out about the key risks to this Manchester United narrative.
Another view: DCF points in the opposite direction
While the 3.3x P/S ratio makes Manchester United look expensive, our DCF model presents a different picture. With the shares at $17.64 versus an estimated future cash flow value of $22.15, the stock appears undervalued by around 20%. So which signal do you rely on more: cash flows or sales multiples?
Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.
MANU Discounted Cash Flow as at Jan 2026
MANU Discounted Cash Flow as at Jan 2026
Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Manchester United for example). We show the entire calculation in full. You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover 887 undervalued stocks based on their cash flows. If you save a screener we even alert you when new companies match - so you never miss a potential opportunity.
Build Your Own Manchester United Narrative
If you see the numbers differently or simply prefer to piece together your own view from the raw data, you can build a complete narrative in just a few minutes, Do it your way.
A great starting point for your Manchester United research is our analysis highlighting 3 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
Ready for more investment ideas beyond Manchester United?
If you are weighing up what to research next, do not leave it to chance. Use targeted screeners to quickly surface ideas that match the kind of opportunities you care about.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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