When Should You Buy Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD)?

While Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD) 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. The recent jump in the share price has meant that the company is trading at close to its 52-week high. With many analysts covering the mid-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today we will analyse the most recent data on Simpson Manufacturing’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for Simpson Manufacturing

Is Simpson Manufacturing 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. 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 Simpson Manufacturing’s ratio of 23.68x is trading in-line with its industry peers’ ratio, which means if you buy Simpson Manufacturing today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Simpson Manufacturing’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 does the future of Simpson Manufacturing 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 5.8% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Simpson Manufacturing, at least in the short term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in SSD’s growth outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at SSD? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on SSD, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive growth outlook may mean it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

Since timing is quite important when it comes to individual stock picking, it's worth taking a look at what those latest analysts forecasts are. Luckily, you can check out what analysts are forecasting by clicking here.

If you are no longer interested in Simpson Manufacturing, 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.