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How Does Mersen's (EPA:MRN) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?

To the annoyance of some shareholders, Mersen (EPA:MRN) shares are down a considerable 54% in the last month. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 55% in that time.

Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.

See our latest analysis for Mersen

Does Mersen Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 4.50 that sentiment around Mersen isn't particularly high. If you look at the image below, you can see Mersen has a lower P/E than the average (14.5) in the electrical industry classification.

ENXTPA:MRN Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 20th 2020
ENXTPA:MRN Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 20th 2020

This suggests that market participants think Mersen will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

Mersen increased earnings per share by a whopping 32% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 100% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. 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).

Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

So What Does Mersen's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Net debt is 47% of Mersen's market cap. While it's worth keeping this in mind, it isn't a worry.

The Bottom Line On Mersen's P/E Ratio

Mersen has a P/E of 4.5. That's below the average in the FR market, which is 13.0. The company does have a little debt, and EPS growth was good last year. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about Mersen over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 9.8 back then to 4.5 today. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. 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.

Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Mersen. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.

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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