How Does Orient Paper & Industries's (NSE:ORIENTPPR) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After Its Big Share Price Gain?
Orient Paper & Industries (NSE:ORIENTPPR) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 39% gain, recovering from prior weakness. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down 34% in the last year.
All else being equal, a sharp share price increase should make a stock less attractive to potential investors. 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). The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. 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 Orient Paper & Industries
Does Orient Paper & Industries Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Orient Paper & Industries's P/E of 7.15 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (9.2) for companies in the forestry industry is higher than Orient Paper & Industries's P/E.
This suggests that market participants think Orient Paper & Industries will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Orient Paper & Industries's 53% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive. Even better, EPS is up 55% per year over three years. So we'd absolutely expect it to have a relatively high 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. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
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.
How Does Orient Paper & Industries's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Orient Paper & Industries has net debt worth just 2.8% of its market capitalization. It would probably trade on a higher P/E ratio if it had a lot of cash, but I doubt it is having a big impact.
The Bottom Line On Orient Paper & Industries's P/E Ratio
Orient Paper & Industries has a P/E of 7.1. That's below the average in the IN market, which is 13.9. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified. What we know for sure is that investors are becoming less uncomfortable about Orient Paper & Industries's prospects, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 5.1 to 7.1 over the last month. If you like to buy stocks that could be turnaround opportunities, then this one might be a candidate; but if you're more sensitive to price, 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 report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Orient Paper & Industries. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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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. Thank you for reading.
