While Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) might not have the largest market cap around , it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. 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, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let's examine Patterson Companies's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity.

What Is Patterson Companies Worth?

Great news for investors – Patterson Companies 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. 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 Patterson Companies's ratio of 11.32x is below its peer average of 25.46x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Healthcare industry. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Patterson Companies'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.

What does the future of Patterson Companies 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 grow by a double-digit 19% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Patterson Companies. 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? Since PDCO is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic profit outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on PDCO for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its buoyant future profit outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy PDCO. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed assessment.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Patterson Companies you should be mindful of and 2 of these make us uncomfortable.

If you are no longer interested in Patterson Companies, 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.