Yahoo Finance How Does Escalade's (NASDAQ:ESCA) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) shares are down a considerable 30% in the last month. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 44% in that time.
Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more 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 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). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.
See our latest analysis for Escalade
Does Escalade Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Escalade's P/E is 12.45. The image below shows that Escalade has a P/E ratio that is roughly in line with the leisure industry average (13.4).
Escalade's P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.
Escalade's earnings per share fell by 65% in the last twelve months. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 12% annually. This could justify a pessimistic P/E.
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. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in 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.
How Does Escalade's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Escalade has net cash of US$5.7m. That should lead to a higher P/E than if it did have debt, because its strong balance sheets gives it more options.
The Verdict On Escalade's P/E Ratio
Escalade has a P/E of 12.4. That's around the same as the average in the US market, which is 13.4. While the lack of recent growth is probably muting optimism, the relatively strong balance sheet will allow the company to weather a storm; so it isn't very surprising to see that it has a P/E ratio close to the market average. Given Escalade's P/E ratio has declined from 17.9 to 12.4 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.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. Although we don't have analyst forecasts you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
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.
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