Is It Time To Buy First Derivatives plc (LON:FDP)?

First Derivatives plc (AIM:FDP), a it services company based in United Kingdom, received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the AIM in the over the last few months. With many analysts covering the stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s take a look at First Derivatives’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists. Check out our latest analysis for First Derivatives

What's the opportunity in First Derivatives?

First Derivatives is currently overpriced based on my relative valuation model. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-equity (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that First Derivatives’s ratio of 109.3x is above its peer average of 26.7x, which suggests the stock is overvalued compared to the it services industry. Furthermore, First Derivatives’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 true value, 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 does the future of First Derivatives 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. 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 96.39% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for First Derivatives. It looks like higher cash flows 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 First Derivatives’s positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe First Derivatives should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value 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 First Derivatives 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 optimistic prospect is encouraging for First Derivatives, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

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

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Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.