Yahoo Finance Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated's (NASDAQ:CORT) Shares Climb 26% But Its Business Is Yet to Catch Up
Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ:CORT) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 26% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Looking further back, the 22% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.
Although its price has surged higher, there still wouldn't be many who think Corcept Therapeutics' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 17.3x is worth a mention when the median P/E in the United States is similar at about 19x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.
With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Corcept Therapeutics has been doing quite well of late. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to deteriorate like the rest, which has kept the P/E from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.
See our latest analysis for Corcept Therapeutics
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Corcept Therapeutics.
Is There Some Growth For Corcept Therapeutics?
Corcept Therapeutics' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 46% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 362% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 2.7% each year as estimated by the four analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 13% per year growth forecast for the broader market.
In light of this, it's curious that Corcept Therapeutics' P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.
The Key Takeaway
Corcept Therapeutics' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/E level with the market. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.
Our examination of Corcept Therapeutics' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Corcept Therapeutics that you should be aware of.
You might be able to find a better investment than Corcept Therapeutics. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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