Yahoo Finance Getting In Cheap On Hamilton Thorne Ltd. (CVE:HTL) Might Be Difficult
Hamilton Thorne Ltd.'s (CVE:HTL) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 76.9x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Canada, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 13x and even P/E's below 6x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.
Recent times have been advantageous for Hamilton Thorne as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Hamilton Thorne
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Is There Enough Growth For Hamilton Thorne?
Hamilton Thorne's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 215% last year. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 63% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the nine analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 76% over the next year. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 9.7% growth forecast for the broader market.
With this information, we can see why Hamilton Thorne is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
The Key Takeaway
Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
As we suspected, our examination of Hamilton Thorne's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.
It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Hamilton Thorne that you need to take into consideration.
If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly and trade on P/E's below 20x.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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