What Is Northwest Pipe Company's (NASDAQ:NWPX) Share Price Doing?
While Northwest Pipe Company (NASDAQ:NWPX) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NASDAQGS over the last few months, increasing to US$31.80 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$25.38. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Northwest Pipe's current trading price of US$25.38 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Northwest Pipe’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.
Check out our latest analysis for Northwest Pipe
What is Northwest Pipe worth?
According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 21.77x is currently trading in-line with its industry peers’ ratio, which means if you buy Northwest Pipe today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. In addition to this, it seems like Northwest Pipe’s share price is quite stable, which could mean there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it’s trading around the price multiples of other industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.
Can we expect growth from Northwest Pipe?
Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. 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 over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Northwest Pipe. 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? NWPX’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at NWPX? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on NWPX, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for NWPX, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
If you'd like to know more about Northwest Pipe as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Northwest Pipe you should know about.
If you are no longer interested in Northwest Pipe, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
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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.
