Encore Wire Corporation (NASDAQ:WIRE), might not be a large cap stock, but it led the NASDAQGS gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. The company's trading levels have reached its high for the past year, following the recent bounce in the 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 examine Encore Wire’s valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there’s still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for Encore Wire

What Is Encore Wire Worth?

Great news for investors – Encore Wire is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. We’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 11.12x is currently well-below the industry average of 22.25x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. However, given that Encore Wire’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 Encore Wire 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. 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. Though in the case of Encore Wire, it is expected to deliver a highly negative earnings growth in the next few years, which doesn’t help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Although WIRE is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, the adverse prospect of negative growth brings about some degree of risk. We recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to WIRE, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on WIRE for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, we recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current price multiple, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future.

So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. When we did our research, we found 2 warning signs for Encore Wire (1 can't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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

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.