CarGurus, Inc. (NASDAQ:CARG), is not the largest company out there, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the NASDAQGS over the last few months. The company is inching closer to its yearly highs following the recent share price climb. With many analysts covering the mid-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 take a look at CarGurus's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

What's The Opportunity In CarGurus?

Great news for investors – CarGurus 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 12.09x is currently well-below the industry average of 22.83x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. What's more interesting is that, CarGurus's share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. 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.

Can we expect growth from CarGurus?

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. Though in the case of CarGurus, 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 CARG 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 CARG, 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 CARG 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.

It can be quite valuable to consider what analysts expect for CarGurus from their most recent forecasts. So feel free to check out our free graph representing analyst forecasts.

If you are no longer interested in CarGurus, 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.