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A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At WiseTech Global Limited's (ASX:WTC) P/E Ratio

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC) share price has dived 64% in the last thirty days. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 55% in that time.

All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. 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. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.

See our latest analysis for WiseTech Global

Does WiseTech Global Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

WiseTech Global's P/E of 36.32 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. The image below shows that WiseTech Global has a higher P/E than the average (33.6) P/E for companies in the software industry.

ASX:WTC Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 19th 2020
ASX:WTC Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 19th 2020

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that WiseTech Global shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

WiseTech Global's 78% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive. The cherry on top is that the five year growth rate was an impressive 47% per year. With that kind of growth rate we would generally expect a high P/E ratio.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.

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.

Is Debt Impacting WiseTech Global's P/E?

The extra options and safety that comes with WiseTech Global's AU$233m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt.

The Verdict On WiseTech Global's P/E Ratio

WiseTech Global's P/E is 36.3 which is above average (13.3) in its market. The excess cash it carries is the gravy on top its fast EPS growth. To us, this is the sort of company that we would expect to carry an above average price tag (relative to earnings). What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become significantly less optimistic about WiseTech Global over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 102.0 back then to 36.3 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.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E 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.

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