Does CNB Financial Corporation’s (NASDAQ:CCNE) PE Ratio Signal A Buying Opportunity?
CNB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CCNE) is trading with a trailing P/E of 16.2x, which is lower than the industry average of 16.8x. While this makes CCNE appear like a great stock to buy, you might change your mind after I explain the assumptions behind the P/E ratio. In this article, I will explain what the P/E ratio is as well as what you should look out for when using it. See our latest analysis for CNB Financial
Demystifying the P/E ratio
P/E is often used for relative valuation since earnings power is a chief driver of investment value. 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 CCNE
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
CCNE Price-Earnings Ratio = $27.51 ÷ $1.695 = 16.2x
The P/E ratio isn’t a metric you view in isolation and only becomes useful when you compare it against other similar companies. We preferably want to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar features to CCNE, such as capital structure and profitability. A common peer group is companies that exist in the same industry, which is what I use. CCNE’s P/E of 16.2x is lower than its industry peers (16.8x), which implies that each dollar of CCNE’s earnings is being undervalued by investors. Therefore, according to this analysis, CCNE is an under-priced stock.
Assumptions to be aware of
While our conclusion might prompt you to buy CCNE immediately, there are two important assumptions you should be aware of. Firstly, our peer group contains companies that are similar to CCNE. If this isn’t the case, the difference in P/E could be due to other factors. For example, if you are comparing lower risk firms with CCNE, 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 CCNE to are fairly valued by the market. If this does not hold, there is a possibility that CCNE’s P/E is lower because our peer group is overvalued by the market.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? If your personal research into the stock confirms what the P/E ratio is telling you, it might be a good time to add more of CCNE to your portfolio. But keep in mind that the usefulness of relative valuation depends on whether you are comfortable with making the assumptions I mentioned above.
Are you a potential investor? If you are considering investing in CCNE, 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 CNB Financial 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.
