As the United Kingdom grapples with economic headwinds, including weak trade data from China and a faltering FTSE 100, investors are increasingly turning their attention to small-cap stocks for potential opportunities. In this challenging environment, identifying undervalued small-cap companies with insider action can provide a promising avenue for those looking to navigate the current market landscape effectively.

Top 10 Undervalued Small Caps With Insider Buying In The United Kingdom

Click here to see the full list of 24 stocks from our Undervalued UK Small Caps With Insider Buying screener.

Here's a peek at a few of the choices from the screener.

Genus

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★★★☆

Overview: Genus is a biotechnology company specializing in animal genetics, with a market cap of approximately ￡2.50 billion.

Operations: Genus generates revenue primarily from its Genus ABS and Genus PIC segments, with the latter contributing ￡352.50 million. The company's gross profit margin has shown significant fluctuations, reaching a high of 68.02% in March 2024. Operating expenses and R&D costs are substantial, with general and administrative expenses peaking at ￡100.90 million in December 2023.

PE: 162.3x

Genus plc, a UK-based company, recently reported full-year sales of ￡668.8 million, down from ￡689.7 million last year, with net income dropping to ￡7.9 million from ￡33.3 million. Despite these declines, Genus maintains insider confidence with recent share purchases by executives within the past six months. Their board proposed a consistent final dividend of 21.7 pence per share for December 2024 payout. Earnings are forecasted to grow annually by 39%, suggesting potential future value despite current challenges in profit margins and external borrowing risks.

• Click here and access our complete valuation analysis report to understand the dynamics of Genus.

• Examine Genus' past performance report to understand how it has performed in the past.

Hammerson

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★☆☆☆

Overview: Hammerson is a property development and investment company specializing in flagship retail destinations across the UK, France, and Ireland, with a market cap of approximately ￡1.36 billion.

Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from its flagship destinations in the UK, France, and Ireland. Over recent periods, it has experienced fluctuations in its net income margin, with notable declines such as -7.90% and -4.97%. The gross profit margin has varied but was 84.54% recently.

PE: -35.4x

Hammerson, a UK-based property developer, has recently arranged a €350 million non-recourse term loan for Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin. This new financing extends their average debt maturity from 2.2 to 2.9 years and maintains their reported LTV unchanged as of June 30. Despite reporting a net loss of ￡516.7 million for H1 2024, insider confidence is evident with significant share purchases in the past six months, indicating potential future growth and stability amidst current challenges.

• Click here to discover the nuances of Hammerson with our detailed analytical valuation report.

• Assess Hammerson's past performance with our detailed historical performance reports.

Harworth Group

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★☆☆☆

Overview: Harworth Group is a UK-based company specializing in the regeneration of land and property for development and investment, with a market cap of approximately ￡0.61 billion.

Operations: Harworth Group's revenue streams have shown variability, with notable gross profit margins such as 0.54389% in 2023-06-30 and 0.51875% in 2023-03-31. The company experiences significant operating expenses, impacting its net income margins which have fluctuated from -0.39570% to 1.34157%.

PE: 12.5x

Harworth Group, a UK-based property regeneration company, stands out among undervalued small caps with strong recent financial performance. For the half year ending June 30, 2024, sales surged to ￡41.31 million from ￡18.24 million the previous year, while net income jumped to ￡14.78 million from ￡2.85 million. Basic earnings per share increased fivefold to ￡0.046. Insider confidence is evident as Independent Non-Executive Chairman Alastair Lyons purchased 50,000 shares worth approximately ￡80K in September 2024, indicating potential future growth and stability despite higher risk external borrowing funding sources and large one-off items impacting results.

• Delve into the full analysis valuation report here for a deeper understanding of Harworth Group.

• Gain insights into Harworth Group's past trends and performance with our Past report.

Make It Happen

• Explore the 24 names from our Undervalued UK Small Caps With Insider Buying screener here.

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Want To Explore Some Alternatives?

• Explore high-performing small cap companies that haven't yet garnered significant analyst attention.

• Fuel your portfolio with companies showing strong growth potential, backed by optimistic outlooks both from analysts and management.

• Find companies with promising cash flow potential yet trading below their fair value.

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.

Companies discussed in this article include LSE:GNS LSE:HMSO and LSE:HWG.

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