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HF Sinclair Corporation's (NYSE:DINO) Prospects Need A Boost To Lift Shares

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 5.7x HF Sinclair Corporation (NYSE:DINO) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 15x and even P/E's higher than 29x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, HF Sinclair has been doing relatively well. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for HF Sinclair

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Keen to find out how analysts think HF Sinclair's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like HF Sinclair's to be considered reasonable.

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Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 306% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 125% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 16% per year as estimated by the eleven analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 9.0% per year, which paints a poor picture.

In light of this, it's understandable that HF Sinclair'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. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.

The Key Takeaway

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that HF Sinclair maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for HF Sinclair you should be aware of, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us.

You might be able to find a better investment than HF Sinclair. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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