Ametek manufactures highly engineered industrial instruments for measurement, display, and control, largely serving niche industrial markets.
The company is a diversified technology leader defined by its consistent, profitable growth and a disciplined acquisition strategy that expands its portfolio of specialized, high-margin businesses.
Updated: January 14, 2026, 16:00 EST
Of course. Here is a comprehensive analysis of whether AME is worth buying.
Technical Analysis AME exhibits exceptionally strong bullish momentum, significantly outperforming the market with a 15.5% gain over the last quarter. It is currently trading near its 52-week high, which suggests the stock is in an overbought condition. This creates a risk of a short-term pullback or consolidation, making the timing for new investment cautious.
Fundamental Analysis The company shows solid operational strength with healthy revenue growth and impressive profitability, evidenced by a 25.8% operating margin. Financially, it is very sound with a low debt level and strong interest coverage. However, some operational metrics, like a cash conversion cycle of 105 days, indicate there is room for improvement in working capital efficiency.
Valuation and Risk Valuation is AME's primary concern; its high P/E and EV/EBITDA ratios suggest the stock is priced at a significant premium to its current earnings. This elevated valuation demands flawless execution of future growth expectations. While its beta shows market-average volatility, the stock has experienced a drawdown of over 20% in the past year, reminding investors of its potential for downside swings.
Buy Recommendation Based on the analysis, a buy recommendation is advised but with a cautious entry strategy. AME is a high-quality company with strong fundamentals and momentum, but its premium valuation makes it vulnerable to disappointment. Investors should consider waiting for a pullback to a more attractive price point rather than chasing the current high. This stock is best suited for those confident in its long-term growth story and willing to tolerate potential short-term volatility.
Of course. Based on the provided analysis, here is a 12-month outlook for AME (Ametek, Inc.).
1. Key Catalysts: The primary catalyst is the continuation of its strong operational execution, leveraging its high profitability (25.8% operating margin) and market-leading positions in precision technology and electromechanical devices to capitalize on enduring industrial and aerospace trends. Sustained revenue growth and efficient management will be critical to justifying its premium valuation.
2. Potential Risks: The most significant risk is its elevated valuation, which makes the stock highly susceptible to a pullback if quarterly results merely meet, rather than exceed, high market expectations. Furthermore, its current overbought technical condition near 52-week highs increases the likelihood of short-term consolidation or volatility.
3. Target Price Range: Given the lack of a specific analyst target, the outlook is nuanced. While AME's quality supports a bullish bias, the high starting valuation suggests more modest returns. A realistic 12-month target range would be $225 - $245, contingent on the company successfully executing its growth strategy without any operational missteps. A more attractive entry point would likely emerge below $200.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about AME's 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $211.12, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, AME has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
Of course. Here is the technical analysis of AME's price performance.
Overall Assessment AME has demonstrated exceptionally strong bullish momentum, significantly outperforming the market over the recent quarter with a substantial 15.5% gain.
Short-term Performance The stock maintains strong positive momentum, evidenced by a solid 3.87% gain over the past month. This recent strength confirms its longer-term trend, as it has outperformed the broader market by over 12% in the last three months, indicating robust relative strength.
Current Position Trading at $211.73, AME is positioned near the top of its 52-week range, sitting just 1.3% below its 52-week high of $214.60. This proximity to the high, combined with the significant rally, suggests the stock is in an overbought condition, warranting caution for new entries as it may be susceptible to a pullback or consolidation.
| Period | AME Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | +4.7% | +1.3% |
| 3m | +17.8% | +5.7% |
| 6m | +15.8% | +10.6% |
| 1y | +17.2% | +16.5% |
| ytd | +0.9% | +1.1% |
Revenue & Profitability Revenue grew from $1.78 billion to $1.89 billion sequentially, demonstrating solid top-line expansion. Profitability remained strong with a gross profit margin of 36.3% and an operating income margin of 25.8%, indicating effective cost control despite increased sales volume.
Financial Health The company maintains a conservative capital structure with a low debt ratio of 17% and a robust interest coverage ratio of 21.7x. The cash flow situation appears healthy, with operating cash flow covering 23% of revenue, though the current ratio of 1.16 suggests adequate but not substantial short-term liquidity.
Operational Efficiency Operational metrics show mixed efficiency with a cash conversion cycle of 105 days, partially due to high days inventory outstanding of 86. The ROE of 3.5% and asset turnover of 0.12 indicate moderate returns relative to the asset base, suggesting potential for improved capital utilization.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardValuation Level: AME appears overvalued based on its price multiples. The trailing and forward PE ratios (32.88 and 29.20) coupled with a high PB ratio of 4.59 and PS ratio of 6.74 suggest a significant growth premium is priced in. The exceptionally high PEG ratio of 7.54 and EV/EBITDA of 79.65 indicate that even accounting for growth and debt, the stock trades at a substantial premium to its fundamentals.
Peer Comparison: A precise peer comparison cannot be conducted as industry average data is unavailable. However, the extremely elevated EV/EBITDA multiple of nearly 80 would typically place it well above most industrial sector peers. This further supports the conclusion that AME trades at a premium valuation level relative to broader market expectations.
Volatility Risk: AME's beta of 1.047 indicates its price movements are closely aligned with the broader market, offering neither significant dampening nor amplification of market swings. However, the stock's maximum drawdown of -20.49% over the past year highlights a meaningful downside volatility, suggesting investors should be prepared for potential declines of this magnitude during market corrections.
Other Risks: The absence of reported short interest reduces the risk of a short squeeze but may also indicate limited speculative bearish sentiment, which could mask underlying concerns. While this lack of short interest is generally positive, investors should still monitor overall market liquidity and company-specific factors such as earnings miss potential or sector-wide headwinds that could impact performance.
Neutral to Bearish
While AME exhibits strong operational momentum and healthy financials, its steep valuation presents significant risk. The stock trades at a substantial premium (P/E ~33, EV/EBITDA ~80), which appears difficult to justify and limits near-term upside potential despite recent earnings beats and analyst optimism. This combination of high price multiples and overbought technical conditions suggests vulnerability to a pullback.
Suitable for: Patient, long-term investors who believe in the company's ability to grow into its valuation; less suitable for value investors or those with low risk tolerance.
Based on the valuation metrics provided, AME stock appears to be overvalued.
The judgment is based on its high price multiples compared to typical industrial sector levels. Key metrics supporting this include a trailing PE of 32.9, a forward PE of 29.2, and an exceptionally high PEG ratio of 7.54. A PEG ratio above 1.0 often signals overvaluation, and a reading of 7.5 suggests the stock's price far outpaces its expected earnings growth.
The primary reason for this premium valuation is the market's high growth expectations, which are baked into the price. While the company demonstrates solid revenue growth and strong profitability (25.8% operating margin), the current valuation multiples imply that near-perfect execution of these growth prospects is already anticipated, leaving little margin for error. The extremely high EV/EBITDA of 79.7 further confirms that the stock trades at a significant premium to its fundamental earnings power.
Based on the analysis of AME, the key risks of holding the stock are:
1. Market Correction Vulnerability: The stock's position near its 52-week high, combined with a recent strong rally creating an overbought condition, makes it highly susceptible to a significant price pullback or consolidation, especially given its history of a -20.49% maximum drawdown. 2. Operational Inefficiency Risk: A cash conversion cycle of 105 days, driven by a high days inventory outstanding of 86, indicates potential inefficiencies in working capital management that could strain cash flow. 3. Weak Capital Utilization Return: A Return on Equity (ROE) of 3.5% signifies relatively low profitability generated from shareholder equity, indicating risk of suboptimal use of investor capital.
Based on AME's robust fundamentals and premium market position, the forecast through 2026 remains positive, though tempered by its elevated starting valuation. My target price range is $270-$310, representing a base case of steady execution and a bull case of accelerated aerospace/industrial adoption. Key growth drivers include: (1) sustained high-margin aerospace & defense demand, (2) operational leverage from its exceptional profitability (~26% operating margin), and (3) strategic acquisitions bolstering its technology portfolio. The primary assumption is that AME maintains its premium pricing power without significant margin compression. However, this outlook is highly sensitive to macroeconomic conditions and interest rate trends, making any forecast beyond 12-18 months inherently uncertain.