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TETRA Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TTI) Stocks Shoot Up 26% But Its P/E Still Looks Reasonable

Simply Wall St
·3 min read

TETRA Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TTI) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 26% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 28% over that time.

Following the firm bounce in price, TETRA Technologies' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 53.6x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 15x and even P/E's below 7x are quite common. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times haven't been advantageous for TETRA Technologies as its earnings have been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring earnings performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for TETRA Technologies

pe-multiple-vs-industry
pe-multiple-vs-industry

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on TETRA Technologies will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

TETRA Technologies' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's bottom line as the year before. Likewise, not much has changed from three years ago as earnings have been stuck during that whole time. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has definitely eluded the company recently.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 285% during the coming year according to the three analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 4.5%, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why TETRA Technologies is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

The strong share price surge has got TETRA Technologies' P/E rushing to great heights as well. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of TETRA Technologies' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for TETRA Technologies you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of TETRA Technologies' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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