What Does Minerals Technologies Inc.'s (NYSE:MTX) Share Price Indicate?

Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX), is not the largest company out there, but it led the NYSE gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. The company is now trading at yearly-high levels following the recent surge in its share price. As a well-established company, which tends to be well-covered by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company’s outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Minerals Technologies’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

View our latest analysis for Minerals Technologies

Is Minerals 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. 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 Minerals Technologies’s ratio of 36.15x is above its peer average of 21.73x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Chemicals industry. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Minerals 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 Minerals Technologies?

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. With profit expected to more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Minerals Technologies. 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 MTX’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 MTX 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 MTX 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 optimistic prospect is encouraging for MTX, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Minerals Technologies at this point in time. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Minerals Technologies you should be mindful of and 1 of these can't be ignored.

If you are no longer interested in Minerals Technologies, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.