Shares of Medpace (MEDP) have been strong performers lately, with the stock up 8.4% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $459.77 in the previous session. Medpace has gained 42.6% since the start of the year compared to the 8.1% move for the Zacks Medical sector and the 6% return for the Zacks Medical Services industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?

The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on April 22, 2024, Medpace reported EPS of $3.2 versus consensus estimate of $2.45 while it missed the consensus revenue estimate by 0.33%.

For the current fiscal year, Medpace is expected to post earnings of $11.29 per share on $2.17 billion in revenues. This represents a 27.14% change in EPS on a 14.92% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $13.13 per share on $2.5 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 16.35% and 15.21%, respectively.

Valuation Metrics

Medpace may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

Medpace has a Value Score of C. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are A and A, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 38.7X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 20.7X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 43.4X versus its peer group's average of 12.6X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 2.16. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.

Zacks Rank

We also need to consider the stock's Zacks Rank, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Medpace currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.