Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT). The company's stock received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. The company is now trading at yearly-high levels following the recent surge in its share price. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock's share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let's examine Applied Materials's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity.
What's The Opportunity In Applied Materials?
Applied Materials appears to be overvalued by 30% at the moment, based on our discounted cash flow valuation. The stock is currently priced at US$230 on the market compared to our intrinsic value of $176.70. This means that the buying opportunity has probably disappeared for now. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Applied Materials'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 kind of growth will Applied Materials generate?
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. With profit expected to grow by 24% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Applied Materials. 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 AMAT's positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe AMAT should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value 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 AMAT for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means there's no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for AMAT, 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 Applied Materials and we think they deserve your attention.
If you are no longer interested in Applied Materials, 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.