Yahoo Finance How Does Ricardo's (LON:RCDO) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Ricardo (LON:RCDO) shares are down a considerable 41% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 33% drop over twelve months.
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. The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. 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). 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Ricardo
Does Ricardo Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Ricardo's P/E of 12.99 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see Ricardo has a lower P/E than the average (15.4) in the professional services industry classification.
Ricardo'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. 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 unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.
Ricardo increased earnings per share by 4.6% last year. In contrast, EPS has decreased by 1.6%, annually, over 5 years.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. 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.
Is Debt Impacting Ricardo's P/E?
Ricardo has net debt equal to 31% of its market cap. You'd want to be aware of this fact, but it doesn't bother us.
The Verdict On Ricardo's P/E Ratio
Ricardo's P/E is 13.0 which is about average (12.2) in the GB market. When you consider the modest EPS growth last year (along with some debt), it seems the market thinks the growth is sustainable. Given Ricardo's P/E ratio has declined from 22.2 to 13.0 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 prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal opportunity.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
You might be able to find a better buy than Ricardo. 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).
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.
