Should You Investigate Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPAA) At US$19.20?
Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPAA), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. Less-covered, small caps tend to present more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Motorcar Parts of America’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.
See our latest analysis for Motorcar Parts of America
Is Motorcar Parts of America Still Cheap?
According to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that Motorcar Parts of America’s ratio of 58.37x is above its peer average of 20.05x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Auto Components industry. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Motorcar Parts of America’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.
Can we expect growth from Motorcar Parts of America?
Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to more than double in the upcoming, the future appears to be extremely bright for Motorcar Parts of America. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.
What This Means For You
Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in MPAA’s positive outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe MPAA should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MPAA for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for MPAA, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Be aware that Motorcar Parts of America is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...
If you are no longer interested in Motorcar Parts of America, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
