What Is MDU Resources Group's (NYSE:MDU) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?
Unfortunately for some shareholders, the MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) share price has dived 32% in the last thirty days. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 21% over that longer period.
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). 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.
View our latest analysis for MDU Resources Group
How Does MDU Resources Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 12.33 that sentiment around MDU Resources Group isn't particularly high. The image below shows that MDU Resources Group has a lower P/E than the average (17.2) P/E for companies in the integrated utilities industry.
This suggests that market participants think MDU Resources Group will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. 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.
It's great to see that MDU Resources Group grew EPS by 23% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 12%. So one might expect an above average P/E ratio.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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 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 MDU Resources Group's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
MDU Resources Group's net debt is 52% of its market cap. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.
The Verdict On MDU Resources Group's P/E Ratio
MDU Resources Group's P/E is 12.3 which is about average (12.5) in the US market. The significant levels of debt do detract somewhat from the strong earnings growth. The P/E suggests the market isn't confident that growth will be sustained, though. Given MDU Resources Group's P/E ratio has declined from 18.1 to 12.3 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who don't like to trade against momentum, that could be a warning sign, but a contrarian investor might want to take a closer look.
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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
You might be able to find a better buy than MDU Resources Group. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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.
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