Is Now The Time To Look At Buying EL.En. S.p.A. (BIT:ELN)?

EL.En. S.p.A. (BIT:ELN), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of 36% in the past couple of months on the BIT. Shareholders may appreciate the recent price jump, but the company still has a way to go before reaching its yearly highs again. As a small cap stock, which tends to lack high analyst coverage, 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 we will analyse the most recent data on EL.En’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for EL.En

What's The Opportunity In EL.En?

EL.En appears to be expensive according to our price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. We find that EL.En’s ratio of 18.7x is above its peer average of 15.24x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Medical Equipment industry. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since EL.En’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 EL.En generate?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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. EL.En's earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 39%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in ELN’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 ELN 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 ELN 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 ELN, 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for EL.En you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in EL.En, 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.