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A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At Taylor Devices, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TAYD) P/E Ratio

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Taylor Devices (NASDAQ:TAYD) share price has dived 33% in the last thirty days. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 36% in that time.

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). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. 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 ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.

View our latest analysis for Taylor Devices

Does Taylor Devices Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

Taylor Devices's P/E of 10.35 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see Taylor Devices has a lower P/E than the average (14.6) in the machinery industry classification.

NasdaqCM:TAYD Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 17th 2020
NasdaqCM:TAYD Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 17th 2020

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Taylor Devices shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. 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

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.

Taylor Devices's earnings made like a rocket, taking off 123% last year. Regrettably, the longer term performance is poor, with EPS down -11% per year over 3 years.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. 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 expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

Taylor Devices's Balance Sheet

With net cash of US$13m, Taylor Devices has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 47% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.

The Verdict On Taylor Devices's P/E Ratio

Taylor Devices has a P/E of 10.4. That's below the average in the US market, which is 12.7. Not only should the net cash position reduce risk, but the recent growth has been impressive. One might conclude that the market is a bit pessimistic, given the low P/E ratio. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become significantly less optimistic about Taylor Devices over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 15.6 back then to 10.4 today. 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.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Taylor Devices. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.

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.

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