Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ:PRDO), might not be a large cap stock, but it led the NASDAQGS gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. The company is inching closer to its yearly highs following the recent share price climb. Less-covered, small caps tend to present more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Let's take a look at Perdoceo Education's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

What's The Opportunity In Perdoceo Education?

Great news for investors – Perdoceo Education 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 9.84x is currently well-below the industry average of 22.11x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. Another thing to keep in mind is that Perdoceo Education'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 does the future of Perdoceo Education look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. 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 -5.6% expected next year, near-term growth certainly doesn't appear to be a driver for a buy decision for Perdoceo Education. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Although PRDO 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 PRDO, 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 PRDO 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.

Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. Be aware that Perdoceo Education is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...

If you are no longer interested in Perdoceo Education, 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.