Yahoo Finance A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At Barratt Developments PLC's (LON:BDEV) P/E Ratio
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Barratt Developments (LON:BDEV) shares are down a considerable 58% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 38% drop over twelve months.
All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. 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). 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 Barratt Developments
Does Barratt Developments Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Barratt Developments's P/E of 4.91 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Barratt Developments has a lower P/E than the average (7.1) P/E for companies in the consumer durables industry.
Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Barratt Developments shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with Barratt Developments, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. 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.
Barratt Developments saw earnings per share improve by 3.0% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 14%.
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. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
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 Barratt Developments's P/E?
With net cash of UK£427m, Barratt Developments has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 12% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.
The Bottom Line On Barratt Developments's P/E Ratio
Barratt Developments's P/E is 4.9 which is below average (11.2) in the GB market. EPS was up modestly better over the last twelve months. And the healthy balance sheet means the company can sustain growth while the P/E suggests shareholders don't think it will. Given Barratt Developments's P/E ratio has declined from 11.7 to 4.9 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E 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.
