At US$21.25, Is It Time To Put Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE:NX) On Your Watch List?

While Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE:NX) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the NYSE over the last few months. As a stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Quanex Building Products’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Our analysis indicates that NX is potentially undervalued!

Is Quanex Building Products Still Cheap?

Good news, investors! Quanex Building Products is still a bargain right now according to my price multiple model, which compares the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. I’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 8.27x is currently well-below the industry average of 14.71x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. However, given that Quanex Building Products’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 another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of Quanex Building Products look like?

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. However, with a relatively muted profit growth of 4.0% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Quanex Building Products, at least in the short term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Even though growth is relatively muted, since NX is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on NX for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its future profit outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy NX. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed assessment.

Diving deeper into the forecasts for Quanex Building Products mentioned earlier will help you understand how analysts view the stock going forward. Luckily, you can check out what analysts are forecasting by clicking here.

If you are no longer interested in Quanex Building Products, 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.