Let's talk about the popular PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG). The company's shares saw significant share price movement during recent months on the NYSE, rising to highs of US$21.63 and falling to the lows of US$19.49. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether PG&E's current trading price of US$20.33 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let's take a look at PG&E's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.
What's The Opportunity In PG&E?
Great news for investors – PG&E 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 PG&E's ratio of 15.82x is below its peer average of 21x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Electric Utilities industry. Another thing to keep in mind is that PG&E's share price is quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its industry peers, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once it's there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again.
What kind of growth will PG&E 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 31% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for PG&E. 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 PCG is currently below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic 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 capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.
Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on PCG for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future profit outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy PCG. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.
So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. For example, PG&E has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.
If you are no longer interested in PG&E, 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.
