Should You Be Tempted To Buy MACA Limited (ASX:MLD) At Its Current Price?
MACA Limited (ASX:MLD) is currently trading at a trailing P/E of 15.1x, which is lower than the industry average of 19.3x. While this makes MLD appear like a great stock to buy, you might change your mind after I explain the assumptions behind the P/E ratio. Today, I will deconstruct the P/E ratio and highlight what you need to be careful of when using the P/E ratio. View our latest analysis for MACA
Demystifying the P/E ratio
The P/E ratio is a popular ratio used in relative valuation since earnings power is a key driver of investment value. It compares a stock’s price per share to the stock’s earnings per share. A more intuitive way of understanding the P/E ratio is to think of it as how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
Formula
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
P/E Calculation for MLD
Price per share = 2.07
Earnings per share = 0.137
∴ Price-Earnings Ratio = 2.07 ÷ 0.137 = 15.1x
On its own, the P/E ratio doesn’t tell you much; however, it becomes extremely useful when you compare it with other similar companies. Ideally, we want to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar characteristics as MLD, such as size and country of operation. A quick method of creating a peer group is to use companies in the same industry, which is what I will do. Since it is expected that similar companies have similar P/E ratios, we can come to some conclusions about the stock if the ratios are different.
At 15.1x, MLD’s P/E is lower than its industry peers (19.3x). This implies that investors are undervaluing each dollar of MLD’s earnings. As such, our analysis shows that MLD represents an under-priced stock.
Assumptions to watch out for
However, before you rush out to buy MLD, it is important to note that this conclusion is based on two key assumptions. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to MLD. If the companies aren’t similar, the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. For example, if you inadvertently compared lower risk firms with MLD, then investors would naturally value MLD at a lower price since it is a riskier investment. Similarly, if you accidentally compared higher growth firms with MLD, investors would also value MLD at a lower price since it is a lower growth investment. Both scenarios would explain why MLD has a lower P/E ratio than its peers. The second assumption that must hold true is that the stocks we are comparing MLD to are fairly valued by the market. If this assumption does not hold true, MLD’s lower P/E ratio may be because firms in our peer group are being overvalued by the market.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? Since you may have already conducted your due diligence on MLD, the undervaluation of the stock may mean it is a good time to top up on your current holdings. But at the end of the day, keep in mind that relative valuation relies heavily on critical assumptions I've outlined above.
Are you a potential investor? If you are considering investing in MLD, basing your decision on the PE metric at one point in time is certainly not sufficient. I recommend you do additional analysis by looking at its intrinsic valuation and using other relative valuation ratios like PEG or EV/EBITDA.
PE is one aspect of your portfolio construction to consider when holding or entering into a stock. But it is certainly not the only factor. Take a look at our most recent infographic report on MACA for a more in-depth analysis of the stock to help you make a well-informed investment decision. Since we know a limitation of PE is it doesn't properly account for growth, you can use our free platform to see my list of stocks with a high growth potential and see if their PE is still reasonable.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
