When Should You Buy Northern Technologies International Corporation (NASDAQ:NTIC)?

Northern Technologies International Corporation (NASDAQ:NTIC), which is in the chemicals business, and is based in United States, saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGM. As a small cap stock, hardly covered by any analysts, there is generally more of an opportunity for mispricing as there is less activity to push the stock closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity here to buy? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Northern Technologies International’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Northern Technologies International

What is Northern Technologies International worth?

According to my relative valuation model, the stock seems to be currently fairly priced. 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 24.13x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 20.93x, which means if you buy Northern Technologies International today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe Northern Technologies International should be trading in this range, then there isn’t really any room for the share price grow beyond what it’s currently trading. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Northern Technologies International’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

What does the future of Northern Technologies International look like?

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. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Though in the case of Northern Technologies International, it is expected to deliver a negative earnings growth of -7.8%, which doesn’t help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Currently, NTIC appears to be trading around its fair value, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to de-risk your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock optimal for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on NTIC, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on NTIC for a while, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. The price seems to be trading at fair value, which means there’s less benefit from mispricing. Furthermore, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help crystalize your views on NTIC should the price fluctuate below its true value.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on Northern Technologies International. You can find everything you need to know about Northern Technologies International in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Northern Technologies International, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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