Should You Think About Buying Liquidity Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDT) Now?

Liquidity Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDT), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a significant share price rise of 72% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. The recent jump in the share price has meant that the company is trading at close to its 52-week high. As a small cap stock, hardly covered by any analysts, 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 Liquidity Services’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Liquidity Services

Is Liquidity Services Still Cheap?

Liquidity Services is currently expensive based on our price multiple model, where we look at the company's price-to-earnings ratio in comparison to 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 Liquidity Services’s ratio of 56.78x is above its peer average of 31.52x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Commercial Services industry. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Liquidity Services’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 does the future of Liquidity Services look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 30% over the next year, the near-term future seems bright for Liquidity Services. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in LQDT’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 LQDT 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 tabs on LQDT for some time, 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 LQDT, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Liquidity Services and we think they deserve your attention.

If you are no longer interested in Liquidity Services, 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.