Why Scatec ASA (OB:SCATC) Could Be Worth Watching

Scatec ASA (OB:SCATC), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw significant share price movement during recent months on the OB, rising to highs of kr82.15 and falling to the lows of kr64.15. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Scatec's current trading price of kr64.40 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Scatec’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for Scatec

Is Scatec Still Cheap?

According to our price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. We’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 16.3x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 15.62x, which means if you buy Scatec today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe Scatec should be trading in this range, then there isn’t really any room for the share price grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Scatec’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What kind of growth will Scatec 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. Though in the case of Scatec, it is expected to deliver a negative earnings growth of -11%, 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? SCATC seems priced close to industry peers right now, 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 beneficial for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on SCATC, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on SCATC for a while, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. This means there’s less benefit from mispricing. In addition to this, 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 crystallize your views on SCATC should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Scatec at this point in time. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (2 don't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Scatec.

If you are no longer interested in Scatec, 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.