Is Now The Time To Look At Buying Helios Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:HLIO)?

While Helios Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:HLIO) might not have the largest market cap around , it received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NYSE over the last few months. While good news for shareholders, the company has traded much higher in the past year. 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? Today we will analyse the most recent data on Helios Technologies’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Helios Technologies

Is Helios Technologies Still Cheap?

According to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. 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 29.49x is currently well-above the industry average of 22.48x, meaning that it is trading at a more expensive price relative to its peers. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Since Helios Technologies’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.

Can we expect growth from Helios Technologies?

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. Helios Technologies' earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 84%, 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 HLIO’s positive outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe HLIO 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 HLIO 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 HLIO, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about Helios Technologies as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Helios Technologies (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

If you are no longer interested in Helios Technologies, 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.