Some Shareholders Feeling Restless Over Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation's (NYSE:AP) P/E Ratio
Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation's (NYSE:AP) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 26.5x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 19x and even P/E's below 11x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's lofty.
As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at Ampco-Pittsburgh over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to still outplay most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Ampco-Pittsburgh
We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Ampco-Pittsburgh's earnings, revenue and cash flow.
Is There Enough Growth For Ampco-Pittsburgh?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Ampco-Pittsburgh's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.
Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 38%. Unfortunately, that's brought it right back to where it started three years ago with EPS growth being virtually non-existent overall during that time. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.
Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 17% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.
In light of this, it's alarming that Ampco-Pittsburgh's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.
What We Can Learn From Ampco-Pittsburgh's P/E?
Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.
We've established that Ampco-Pittsburgh currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as this earnings performance isn't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.
You always need to take note of risks, for example - Ampco-Pittsburgh has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
If you're unsure about the strength of Ampco-Pittsburgh's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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.
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