A Rising Share Price Has Us Looking Closely At Epwin Group PLC's (LON:EPWN) P/E Ratio
Epwin Group (LON:EPWN) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 39% in the last month alone, although it is still down 27% over the last quarter. While recent buyers might be laughing, long term holders might not be so pleased, since the recent gain only brings the full year return to evens.
Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less 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. So some would prefer to hold off buying when there is a lot of optimism towards a stock. 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 Epwin Group
How Does Epwin Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 10.85 that sentiment around Epwin Group isn't particularly high. If you look at the image below, you can see Epwin Group has a lower P/E than the average (12.8) in the building industry classification.
Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Epwin Group shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with Epwin 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
When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.
Epwin Group maintained roughly steady earnings over the last twelve months. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 8.7% annually. So you wouldn't expect a very high P/E.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. 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.
So What Does Epwin Group's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Net debt totals 13% of Epwin Group's market cap. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth.
The Verdict On Epwin Group's P/E Ratio
Epwin Group's P/E is 10.8 which is below average (14.1) in the GB market. Since it only carries a modest debt load, it's likely the low expectations implied by the P/E ratio arise from the lack of recent earnings growth. What is very clear is that the market has become more optimistic about Epwin Group over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 7.8 back then to 10.8 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But the contrarian may see it as a missed opportunity.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. 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 visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.
But note: Epwin 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).
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.
