While Avanos Medical, Inc. (NYSE:AVNS) might not have the largest market cap around , it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$24.69 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$17.02. 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 Avanos Medical's current trading price of US$17.02 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let's take a look at Avanos Medical's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Is Avanos Medical 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 Avanos Medical's ratio of 33.85x is trading slightly below its industry peers' ratio of 35.97x, which means if you buy Avanos Medical today, you'd be paying a decent price for it. And if you believe Avanos Medical should be trading in this range, then there isn't much room for the share price to grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. In addition to this, it seems like Avanos Medical's share price is quite stable, which could mean there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it's trading around the price multiples of other industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What does the future of Avanos Medical look like?

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. Avanos Medical's revenue growth are expected to be in the teens in the upcoming years, indicating a solid future ahead. Unless expenses grow at the same level, or higher, this top-line growth should lead to robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in AVNS's positive outlook, 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 AVNS? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping tabs on AVNS, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for AVNS, 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.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Avanos Medical at this point in time. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Avanos Medical you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Avanos Medical, 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.