Yahoo Finance A Rising Share Price Has Us Looking Closely At Haynes Publishing Group P.L.C.'s (LON:HYNS) P/E Ratio
It's really great to see that even after a strong run, Haynes Publishing Group (LON:HYNS) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 32% in the last thirty days. Zooming out, the annual gain of 136% knocks our socks off.
Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. 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.
See our latest analysis for Haynes Publishing Group
How Does Haynes Publishing Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 44.04 that there is some investor optimism about Haynes Publishing Group. As you can see below, Haynes Publishing Group has a higher P/E than the average company (20.4) in the media industry.
Haynes Publishing Group's P/E tells us that market participants think the company will perform better than its industry peers, going forward. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. 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. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers.
Haynes Publishing Group shrunk earnings per share by 5.1% last year. But EPS is up 4.9% over the last 5 years.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
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. 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.
Haynes Publishing Group's Balance Sheet
Haynes Publishing Group has net cash of UK£4.9m. That should lead to a higher P/E than if it did have debt, because its strong balance sheets gives it more options.
The Bottom Line On Haynes Publishing Group's P/E Ratio
Haynes Publishing Group trades on a P/E ratio of 44.0, which is above its market average of 16.8. The recent drop in earnings per share would make some investors cautious, but the net cash position means the company has time to improve: and the high P/E suggests the market thinks it will. What we know for sure is that investors have become much more excited about Haynes Publishing Group recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 33.4 to 44.0 over the last month. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But the contrarian may see it as a missed opportunity.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. 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 Haynes Publishing Group. 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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