At $0.55, Is It Time To Sell Postmedia Network Canada Corp (TSX:PNCB)?
Postmedia Network Canada Corp (TSX:PNC.B) is trading with a trailing P/E of 72.8x, which is higher than the industry average of 25.4x. While PNC.B might seem like a stock to avoid or sell if you own it, it is important to understand the assumptions behind the P/E ratio before you make any investment decisions. In this article, I will deconstruct the P/E ratio and highlight what you need to be careful of when using the P/E ratio. See our latest analysis for PNC.B
Breaking down the Price-Earnings ratio
P/E is a popular ratio used for relative valuation. By comparing a stock’s price per share to its earnings per share, we are able to see how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
P/E Calculation for PNC.B
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
PNC.B Price-Earnings Ratio = 0.55 ÷ 0.008 = 72.8x
The P/E ratio isn’t a metric you view in isolation and only becomes useful when you compare it against other similar companies. Our goal is to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar attributes to PNC.B, such as company lifetime and products sold. A quick method of creating a peer group is to use companies in the same industry, which is what I will do. At 72.8x, PNC.B’s P/E is higher than its industry peers (25.4x). This implies that investors are overvaluing each dollar of PNC.B’s earnings. As such, our analysis shows that PNC.B represents an over-priced stock.
Assumptions to be aware of
Before you jump to the conclusion that PNC.B should be banished from your portfolio, it is important to realise that our conclusion rests on two assertions. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to PNC.B, or else the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. For example, if you are comparing lower risk firms with PNC.B, then its P/E would naturally be lower than its peers, as investors would value those with lower risk at a higher price. The second assumption that must hold true is that the stocks we are comparing PNC.B to are fairly valued by the market. If this does not hold true, PNC.B’s lower P/E ratio may be because firms in our peer group are overvalued by the market.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? You may have already conducted fundamental analysis on the stock as a shareholder, so its current overvaluation could signal a potential selling opportunity to reduce your exposure to PNC.B. Now that you understand the ins and outs of the PE metric, you should know to bear in mind its limitations before you make an investment decision.
Are you a potential investor? If you are considering investing in PNC.B, looking at the PE ratio on its own is not enough to make a well-informed decision. You will benefit from looking at additional analysis and considering its intrinsic valuation along with other relative valuation metrics like PEG and EV/Sales.
PE is one aspect of your portfolio construction to consider when holding or entering into a stock. But it is certainly not the only factor. Take a look at our most recent infographic report on Postmedia Network Canada for a more in-depth analysis of the stock to help you make a well-informed investment decision. Since we know a limitation of PE is it doesn’t properly account for growth, you can use our free platform to see my list of stocks with a high growth potential and see if their PE is still reasonable.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
