Is It Time To Consider Buying Veolia Environnement SA (EPA:VIE)?

Veolia Environnement SA (EPA:VIE) saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the ENXTPA over the last few months. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Veolia Environnement’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Veolia Environnement

Is Veolia Environnement Still Cheap?

Veolia Environnement is currently expensive based on my price multiple model, where I look at the company's price-to-earnings ratio in comparison 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 Veolia Environnement’s ratio of 18.9x is above its peer average of 12.48x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Integrated Utilities industry. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Since Veolia Environnement’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What kind of growth will Veolia Environnement generate?

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. With profit expected to grow by 55% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Veolia Environnement. 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 VIE’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 VIE 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 VIE 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 VIE, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Veolia Environnement (including 1 which shouldn't be ignored).

If you are no longer interested in Veolia Environnement, 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.