What Is IVE Group's (ASX:IGL) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Rocketed?
Those holding IVE Group (ASX:IGL) shares must be pleased that the share price has rebounded 48% in the last thirty days. But unfortunately, the stock is still down by 58% over a quarter. But that will do little to salve the savage burn caused by the 57% share price decline, over the last year.
All else being equal, a sharp share price increase should make a stock less attractive to potential investors. 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. So some would prefer to hold off buying when there is a lot of optimism towards a stock. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock 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.
Check out our latest analysis for IVE Group
Does IVE Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 5.40 that sentiment around IVE Group isn't particularly high. The image below shows that IVE Group has a lower P/E than the average (15.9) P/E for companies in the media industry.
Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that IVE Group shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with IVE Group, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. 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
Companies that shrink earnings per share quickly will rapidly decrease the 'E' in the equation. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.
IVE Group shrunk earnings per share by 10% over the last year. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 55%. And EPS is down 7.5% a year, over the last 3 years. This might lead to low expectations.
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. 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).
While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.
So What Does IVE Group's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
IVE Group has net debt worth a very significant 102% of its market capitalization. This level of debt justifies a relatively low P/E, so remain cognizant of the debt, if you're comparing it to other stocks.
The Bottom Line On IVE Group's P/E Ratio
IVE Group's P/E is 5.4 which is below average (14.9) in the AU market. When you consider that the company has significant debt, and didn't grow EPS last year, it isn't surprising that the market has muted expectations. What we know for sure is that investors are becoming less uncomfortable about IVE Group's prospects, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 3.6 to 5.4 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.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
But note: IVE Group 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).
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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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
