Yahoo Finance What Is Intuitive Surgical's (NASDAQ:ISRG) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) shares are down a considerable 33% in the last month. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 30% over that longer period.
All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock 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 Intuitive Surgical
Does Intuitive Surgical Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Intuitive Surgical's P/E is 34.03. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (34.9) for companies in the medical equipment industry is roughly the same as Intuitive Surgical's P/E.
Its P/E ratio suggests that Intuitive Surgical shareholders think that in the future it will perform about the same as other companies in its industry classification. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Checking factors such as director buying and selling. could help you form your own view on if that will happen.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.
Intuitive Surgical increased earnings per share by an impressive 20% over the last twelve months. And earnings per share have improved by 26% annually, over the last five years. This could arguably justify a relatively high P/E ratio.
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. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.
So What Does Intuitive Surgical's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Intuitive Surgical has net cash of US$3.2b. 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 Intuitive Surgical's P/E Ratio
Intuitive Surgical's P/E is 34.0 which is above average (11.8) in its market. With cash in the bank the company has plenty of growth options -- and it is already on the right track. So it does not seem strange that the P/E is above average. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become significantly less optimistic about Intuitive Surgical over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 50.6 back then to 34.0 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal 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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
You might be able to find a better buy than Intuitive Surgical. 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).
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.
