Yahoo Finance A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At The Warehouse Group Limited's (NZSE:WHS) P/E Ratio
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Warehouse Group (NZSE:WHS) shares are down a considerable 44% in the last month. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 31% in that time.
Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.
View our latest analysis for Warehouse Group
Does Warehouse Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 8.69 that sentiment around Warehouse Group isn't particularly high. The image below shows that Warehouse Group has a lower P/E than the average (14.4) P/E for companies in the multiline retail industry.
This suggests that market participants think Warehouse Group will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.
In the last year, Warehouse Group grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 103% gain was both fast and well deserved. Unfortunately, earnings per share are down 1.2% a year, over 5 years.
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. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.
How Does Warehouse Group's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Warehouse Group has net debt worth 11% of its market capitalization. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth.
The Bottom Line On Warehouse Group's P/E Ratio
Warehouse Group trades on a P/E ratio of 8.7, which is below the NZ market average of 15.0. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. If the company can continue to grow earnings, then the current P/E may be unjustifiably low. Given analysts are expecting further growth, one might have expected a higher P/E ratio. That may be worth further research. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about Warehouse Group over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 15.6 back then to 8.7 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. 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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Warehouse Group. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
