Shares of Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NCI) are trading at 22x our 2008 EPS estimate and at a 25% premium to the peer group average. Although we are encouraged by signs of stability and improvement within the Q1 results, we remain cautious. Despite the better-than-anticipated results in Q1, management left its full-year earnings guidance unchanged.
Until we see further evidence that the NCI's business has fully recovered from the issues that plagued company throughout much of 2007, we do not believe that a premium valuation, relative to the peer group, is warranted. Our price target reflects of multiple of 17x our 2008 EPS estimate, and we reiterate our Sell rating on NCI.
Shares of Navigant Consulting are trading at 22.0x our 2008 EPS estimate and at a 25% premium to the peer group average. While we believe that the movement of the share price off of the recent lows was justified, we consider to the shares to be overvalued at current levels.
The company reported solid financial results in the first quarter, with impressive utilization rates and strength in several segments. Despite the improvements posted during the first quarter, management has left its 2008 guidance, issued in October 2007, unchanged. Although we are encouraged by signs of stability and improvement within the Q1 results, we remain cautious.
Read the full analyst report on NCI.
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