Yahoo Finance What Is Ausdrill's (ASX:ASL) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Rocketed?
Ausdrill (ASX:ASL) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 36% gain, recovering from prior weakness. And the full year gain of 32% isn't too shabby, either!
Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less 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. The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.
Check out our latest analysis for Ausdrill
Does Ausdrill Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Ausdrill's P/E of 7.65 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Ausdrill has a lower P/E than the average (13.0) P/E for companies in the metals and mining industry.
Ausdrill's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers.
In the last year, Ausdrill grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 77% gain was both fast and well deserved. And earnings per share have improved by 66% annually, over the last three years. So we'd absolutely expect it to have a relatively high P/E ratio.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.
Ausdrill's Balance Sheet
Ausdrill has net debt equal to 32% of its market cap. While that's enough to warrant consideration, it doesn't really concern us.
The Bottom Line On Ausdrill's P/E Ratio
Ausdrill's P/E is 7.7 which is below average (18.2) in the AU market. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified. What we know for sure is that investors are becoming less uncomfortable about Ausdrill's prospects, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 5.6 to 7.7 over the last month. For those who like to invest in turnarounds, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But others might consider the opportunity to have passed.
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 visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.
You might be able to find a better buy than Ausdrill. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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. Thank you for reading.
