At US$161, Is VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW) Worth Looking At Closely?
Today we're going to take a look at the well-established VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW). The company's stock saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the NYSE 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. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at VMware’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.
View our latest analysis for VMware
What's the opportunity in VMware?
Good news, investors! VMware is still a bargain right now according to my price multiple model, which compares the company's price-to-earnings ratio to 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 VMware’s ratio of 32.28x is below its peer average of 47.35x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Software industry. VMware’s share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. If you believe the share price should eventually reach its industry peers, a low beta could suggest it is unlikely to rapidly do so anytime soon, and once it’s there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range.
What kind of growth will VMware generate?
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. However, with a relatively muted profit growth of 7.7% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for VMware, at least in the short term.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since VMW is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on VMW for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its future profit outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy VMW. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.
So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for VMware you should be aware of.
If you are no longer interested in VMware, 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. 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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