Why Woolworths shares are offering a rare buying opportunity today

I think there’s a rare buying opportunity for Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) shares today.

Woolworths shares have had a fairly interesting ride lately.

Back in February, Woolworths shares made a fresh new all-time high of $43.96. Then the March share market crash hit and the shares went all the way down to $32.12. When it became apparent that Australians were stocking up on food, toilet paper, and other essentials in February and March, the Woolies share price rebounded back to the $40 level.

But since then, Woolworths shares have languished while the rest of the market has surged. For some context, since 23 March the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has risen close to 28%. Woolworths shares? A 3.66% drop.

Why are Woolworths shares stuck in the mud?

You would think that after Woolworths reported a record quarter (ending 31 March 2020) that investors would be scrambling to get a hold of this company’s shares. Especially those investors who were willing to pay nearly $45 for the same shares just a few months ago.

But investors know that the healthy bump Woolies got in February and March isn’t here to stay. According to the company, consumption patterns have more or less returned to normal. What hasn’t returned to normal though is Woolworths’ spending. The company has had to ramp up costs considerably as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Safety screens, extra cleaning, enforcing social distancing at its stores, and additional staffing costs are all expensive and will probably be weighing the company’s balance sheet down for at least the next year, possibly longer.

It’s my view that investors are seeing these costs and as a result, aren’t in a rush for Woolworths shares.

Why the Woolworths share price might be a buy today

At current levels, I’m seeing a pricing opportunity for Woolworths shares. Why? Because the company is trading at no premium to its arch-rival Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL). Being a larger, more diverse company with a higher market share of the Australia grocery industry, Woolworths has historically commanded a pricing premium to Coles.

But today, the shares are neck-and-neck. On current prices of $35.28 (at the time of writing), Woolworths shares are trading on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 17.48 and a trailing dividend yield of 2.93%.

If we look at the Coles share price at $15.48, we can see a P/E ratio of 17.08 and a trailing dividend yield of 2.77%.

So the companies are pretty much dead-even on a P/E basis and Woolworths actually comes out on top regarding dividend yield.

Foolish takeaway

I think dividend shares will continue to be in demand in 2020 as a result of record-low interest rates. And in my view, Woolworths is one of the most reliable ASX dividend shares on the ASX today.

As such, I think Woolworths is a decent buy today.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and Woolworths Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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