Yahoo Finance What Is Bank of Marin Bancorp's (NASDAQ:BMRC) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ:BMRC) shares are down a considerable 39% in the last month. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 36% in that time.
All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. 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. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.
Check out our latest analysis for Bank of Marin Bancorp
How Does Bank of Marin Bancorp's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
Bank of Marin Bancorp's P/E of 10.76 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (9.4) for companies in the banks industry is lower than Bank of Marin Bancorp's P/E.
That means that the market expects Bank of Marin Bancorp will outperform other companies in its industry. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Bank of Marin Bancorp saw earnings per share improve by 6.8% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 8.4% annually, over the last five years.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.
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.
How Does Bank of Marin Bancorp's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Bank of Marin Bancorp has net cash of US$175m. This is fairly high at 48% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.
The Verdict On Bank of Marin Bancorp's P/E Ratio
Bank of Marin Bancorp trades on a P/E ratio of 10.8, which is below the US market average of 12.7. Recent earnings growth wasn't bad. And the net cash position gives the company many options. So it's strange that the low P/E indicates low expectations. Given Bank of Marin Bancorp's P/E ratio has declined from 17.6 to 10.8 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who don't like to trade against momentum, that could be a warning sign, but a contrarian investor might want to take a closer look.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
But note: Bank of Marin Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).
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.
