CoreCivic, Inc. (NYSE:CXW), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the NYSE. With many analysts covering the 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 examine CoreCivic's valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if there's still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for CoreCivic

What Is CoreCivic Worth?

CoreCivic appears to be overvalued by 36% at the moment, based on my discounted cash flow valuation. The stock is currently priced at US$12.55 on the market compared to my intrinsic value of $9.26. Not the best news for investors looking to buy! In addition to this, it seems like CoreCivic's share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to fall back down to an attractive buying range, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What kind of growth will CoreCivic 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. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let's also take a look at the company's future expectations. However, with a negative profit growth of -6.6% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn't appear to be a driver for a buy decision for CoreCivic. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? If you believe CXW is currently trading above its value, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. Given the uncertainty from negative growth in the future, this could be the right time to de-risk your portfolio. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping tabs on CXW for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. Its price has risen beyond its true value, on top of a negative future outlook. However, there are also other important factors which we haven't considered today, such as the track record of its management. Should the price fall in the future, will you be well-informed enough to buy?

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Be aware that CoreCivic is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable...

If you are no longer interested in CoreCivic, 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.