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How Does Beach Energy's (ASX:BPT) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Beach Energy (ASX:BPT) share price has dived 31% in the last thirty days. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 15% over that longer period.

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). The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. 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 Beach Energy

Does Beach Energy Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 6.98 that sentiment around Beach Energy isn't particularly high. If you look at the image below, you can see Beach Energy has a lower P/E than the average (9.1) in the oil and gas industry classification.

ASX:BPT Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 28th 2020
ASX:BPT Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 28th 2020

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Beach Energy shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. 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

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. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

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Beach Energy increased earnings per share by a whopping 48% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 3 years is 58%. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. 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.

While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

Beach Energy's Balance Sheet

Since Beach Energy holds net cash of AU$65m, it can spend on growth, justifying a higher P/E ratio than otherwise.

The Verdict On Beach Energy's P/E Ratio

Beach Energy's P/E is 7.0 which is below average (18.0) in the AU market. It grew its EPS nicely over the last year, and the healthy balance sheet implies there is more potential for growth. The relatively low P/E ratio implies the market is pessimistic. Given Beach Energy's P/E ratio has declined from 10.1 to 7.0 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 to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research.

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 visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.

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.