There's No Escaping Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation's (TSE:AI) Muted Earnings
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.6x Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation (TSE:AI) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Canada have P/E ratios greater than 13x and even P/E's higher than 27x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.
Recent times have been pleasing for Atrium Mortgage Investment as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Atrium Mortgage Investment
Keen to find out how analysts think Atrium Mortgage Investment's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.
How Is Atrium Mortgage Investment's Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Atrium Mortgage Investment's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 19% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 30% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to slump, contracting by 7.4% during the coming year according to the one analyst following the company. That's not great when the rest of the market is expected to grow by 12%.
In light of this, it's understandable that Atrium Mortgage Investment's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.
The Key Takeaway
It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
As we suspected, our examination of Atrium Mortgage Investment's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
You need to take note of risks, for example - Atrium Mortgage Investment has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.
It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).
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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.
