Is Independence Group NL (ASX:IGO) Attractive At This PE Ratio?
I am writing today to help inform people who are new to the stock market and want to start learning about core concepts of fundamental analysis on practical examples from today’s market.
Independence Group NL (ASX:IGO) is currently trading at a trailing P/E of 52.8, which is higher than the industry average of 11. Although some investors may see this as unappealing, it is important to understand the assumptions behind the P/E ratio before making judgments. Today, I will break down what the P/E ratio is, how to interpret it and what to watch out for.
Check out our latest analysis for Independence Group
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 IGO
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
IGO Price-Earnings Ratio = A$4.74 ÷ A$0.0898 = 52.8x
The P/E ratio isn’t a metric you view in isolation and only becomes useful when you compare it against other similar companies. Our goal is to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar attributes to IGO, such as company lifetime and products sold. A common peer group is companies that exist in the same industry, which is what I use. IGO’s P/E of 52.8 is higher than its industry peers (11), which implies that each dollar of IGO’s earnings is being overvalued by investors. This multiple is a median of profitable companies of 25 Metals and Mining companies in AU including Aeris Resources, Citigold and Highlands Pacific. You could also say that the market is suggesting that IGO is a stronger business than the average comparable company.
A few caveats
However, you should be aware that this analysis makes certain assumptions. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to IGO. If not, the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. For example, Independence Group NL could be growing more quickly than the companies we’re comparing it with. In that case it would deserve a higher P/E ratio. We should also be aware that the stocks we are comparing to IGO may not be fairly valued. Just because it is trading on a higher P/E ratio than its peers does not mean it must be overvalued. After all, the peer group could be undervalued.
What this means for you:
You may have already conducted fundamental analysis on the stock as a shareholder, so its current overvaluation could signal a potential selling opportunity to reduce your exposure to IGO. Now that you understand the ins and outs of the PE metric, you should know to bear in mind its limitations before you make an investment decision. Remember that basing your investment decision off one metric alone is certainly not sufficient. There are many things I have not taken into account in this article and the PE ratio is very one-dimensional. If you have not done so already, I urge you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for IGO’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for IGO’s outlook.
Past Track Record: Has IGO been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of IGO’s historicals for more clarity.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
To help readers see past 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. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
