When it comes to buying 'cheap' ASX shares, valuation is often in the eye of the beholder. It was pretty easy to call CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) overvalued at most points over the past decade. Yet buying it at any time before 2020 turned out to be a pretty good idea. It's a story often repeated, most famously with the US technology titan Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), which even today trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 118.
But that problem isn't one afflicting the ASX shares named below. Here are two ASX shares that I think are cheap and undervalued today. Now, as with most 'cheap' shares, the two companies named below are trading at relatively low valuations for a reason. However, I think both are still worthy of consideration today.
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2 ASX shares selling cheap today
Virgin Money UK (ASX: VUK)
Virgin Money UK is my first cheap ASX share today. It's a United Kingdom-based bank, formerly known as Clydesdale Bank, that was spun-out of National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) a few years ago. Since then, the company's share price hasn't been a nice thing to watch. It last peaked at $6.21 back in July 2018, but has trended lower ever since. Like most bank shares, the coronavirus outbreak has been devastating for the Virgin Money share price, which is languishing at $1.30 at the time of writing after falling another 2.8% today.
But I think this bank's share price is so cheap now that it's worthy of a good hard look. Yes, the UK's economy is being hit very hard at the moment. A second wave of coronavirus infections is unfortunately sweeping through the country and, as such, UK bank shares like Virgin Money are being put through the wringer. But I think Virgin Money is well-poised for a strong recovery once the country opens back up. Like in Australia, the UK banking sector does enjoy strong support from the government, so I think there is very little risk of this company hitting the wall. It could make a good turnaround play at its current prices.
A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)
a2 Milk is my second cheap share to consider today. The company is being hit hard today, with the a2 Milk share price down almost 11% to $15.37 in Monday's trade (at the time of writing). The catalyst for this hefty move? This morning a2 Milk told the markets that, due to disruption to daigou reseller channels, the company is now expecting revenues to decline year on year for the first half of FY2021 by between 3.9% and 10.1%.
Whilst this is obviously not good news for a2 Milk, I think it will prove to be a temporary setback. This company has been one of the most phenomenal ASX success stories over the past decade. The a2 Milk share price has rewarded shareholders with more than 2,200% in gains over the past five years. With its powerful brand and successful management team, I think this pullback is a great buying opportunity for a long-term investment in a2 Milk today.
