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What Is First BanCorp's (NYSE:FBP) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?

To the annoyance of some shareholders, First BanCorp (NYSE:FBP) shares are down a considerable 59% in the last month. Given the 66% drop over the last year, some shareholders might be worried that they have become bagholders. What is a bagholder? It is a shareholder who has suffered a bad loss, but continues to hold indefinitely, without questioning their reasons for holding, even as the losses grow greater.

Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more 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 long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. 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). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

See our latest analysis for First BanCorp

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

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 4.91 that sentiment around First BanCorp isn't particularly high. The image below shows that First BanCorp has a lower P/E than the average (8.3) P/E for companies in the banks industry.

NYSE:FBP Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 24th 2020
NYSE:FBP Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 24th 2020

First BanCorp's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with First BanCorp, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. 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. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers.

First BanCorp saw earnings per share decrease by 18% last year. But over the longer term (3 years), earnings per share have increased by 20%. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 17% annually. This could justify a pessimistic P/E.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

How Does First BanCorp's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

First BanCorp's net debt is 76% of its market cap. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you should absolutely keep in mind it has significant borrowings.

The Verdict On First BanCorp's P/E Ratio

First BanCorp has a P/E of 4.9. That's below the average in the US market, which is 11.5. Given meaningful debt, and a lack of recent growth, the market looks to be extrapolating this recent performance; reflecting low expectations for the future. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about First BanCorp over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 11.9 back then to 4.9 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 it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

But note: First BanCorp 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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