What Is Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ODFL) Share Price Doing?

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Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODFL) received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. As a large-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Let’s take a look at Old Dominion Freight Line’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Old Dominion Freight Line

What is Old Dominion Freight Line worth?

Old Dominion Freight Line appears to be expensive according to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average. 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 Old Dominion Freight Line’s ratio of 40.71x is above its peer average of 17.07x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Transportation industry. In addition to this, it seems like Old Dominion Freight Line’s share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to fall back down to an attractive buying range, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What does the future of Old Dominion Freight Line look like?

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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 grow by 45% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Old Dominion Freight Line. 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 ODFL’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 ODFL 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 an eye on ODFL for a while, 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 ODFL, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Old Dominion Freight Line you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Old Dominion Freight Line, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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.

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