While Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it led the NASDAQGS gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. As a mid-cap stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the company's outlook is already priced into the stock. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Academy Sports and Outdoors's outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for Academy Sports and Outdoors

Is Academy Sports and Outdoors Still Cheap?

Great news for investors – Academy Sports and Outdoors is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, I've used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock's cash flows. I find that Academy Sports and Outdoors's ratio of 8.16x is below its peer average of 14.77x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Specialty Retail industry. What's more interesting is that, Academy Sports and Outdoors's share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What kind of growth will Academy Sports and Outdoors 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 a double-digit 20% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Academy Sports and Outdoors. 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 ASO is currently below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive 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 financial health to consider, which could explain the current price multiple.

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on ASO for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its buoyant future profit outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy ASO. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, 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, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Academy Sports and Outdoors.

If you are no longer interested in Academy Sports and Outdoors, 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.