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How Does City Chic Collective's (ASX:CCX) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After Its Big Share Price Gain?

It's great to see City Chic Collective (ASX:CCX) shareholders have their patience rewarded with a 33% share price pop in the last month. Zooming out, the annual gain of 147% knocks our socks off.

Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.

View our latest analysis for City Chic Collective

How Does City Chic Collective's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 46.40 that there is some investor optimism about City Chic Collective. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (16.8) for companies in the specialty retail industry is lower than City Chic Collective's P/E.

ASX:CCX Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 21st 2020
ASX:CCX Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 21st 2020

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that City Chic Collective shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

City Chic Collective shrunk earnings per share by 15% over the last year. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 48%.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).

While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

So What Does City Chic Collective's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

City Chic Collective's net debt is 0.4% of its market cap. So it doesn't have as many options as it would with net cash, but its debt would not have much of an impact on its P/E ratio.

The Verdict On City Chic Collective's P/E Ratio

City Chic Collective's P/E is 46.4 which is above average (18.6) in its market. With a bit of debt, but a lack of recent growth, it's safe to say the market is expecting improved profit performance from the company, in the next few years. What is very clear is that the market has become significantly more optimistic about City Chic Collective over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 35.0 back then to 46.4 today. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is 'blood in the streets', then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.

But note: City Chic Collective may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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