Let's talk about the popular Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT). The company's shares led the NYSE gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. 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. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Let's examine Waters's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity.

Is Waters Still Cheap?

The stock seems fairly valued at the moment according to our valuation model. It's trading around 15% below our intrinsic value, which means if you buy Waters today, you'd be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe the company's true value is $410.67, then there isn't much room for the share price grow beyond what it's currently trading. Furthermore, Waters's low beta implies that the stock is less volatile than the wider market.

What kind of growth will Waters generate?

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 30% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Waters. 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? WAT's optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. 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 the stock? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuates below the true value?

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on WAT, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for the company, which means it's worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about Waters as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Waters.

If you are no longer interested in Waters, 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.