Let's talk about the popular Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA). The company's shares saw a decent share price growth of 13% on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. The recent share price gains has brought the company back closer to its yearly peak. 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 Comcast's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity.

Is Comcast Still Cheap?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio 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 Comcast's ratio of 11.36x is trading slightly below its industry peers' ratio of 13.52x, which means if you buy Comcast today, you'd be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that Comcast should be trading at this level in the long run, then there's not much of an upside to gain over and above other industry peers. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Comcast's beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company's shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

Can we expect growth from Comcast?

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. Though in the case of Comcast, it is expected to deliver a relatively unexciting earnings growth of 2.4%, which doesn't help build up its investment thesis. Growth doesn't appear to be a main reason for a buy decision for the company, at least in the near term.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? CMCSA's future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven't considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at CMCSA? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping tabs on CMCSA, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive growth outlook may mean it's worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Comcast.

If you are no longer interested in Comcast, 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.