Is It Too Late To Consider Buying IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX)?

IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth of 18% on the NYSE over the last few months. The recent rally in share prices has nudged the company in the right direction, though it still falls short of its yearly peak. 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? Let’s examine IMAX’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for IMAX

What Is IMAX Worth?

IMAX appears to be expensive according to our price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and 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 IMAX’s ratio of 33.36x is above its peer average of 17.38x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Entertainment industry. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Since IMAX’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 IMAX look like?

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 IMAX. 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 IMAX’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 IMAX 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 IMAX 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 IMAX, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you want to dive deeper into IMAX, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, IMAX has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in IMAX, 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.