Yahoo Finance Investors Don't See Light At End Of Base Resources Limited's (ASX:BSE) Tunnel
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 6.5x Base Resources Limited (ASX:BSE) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Australia have P/E ratios greater than 20x and even P/E's higher than 39x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.
Recent times have been pleasing for Base Resources as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
See our latest analysis for Base Resources
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Base Resources.
How Is Base Resources' Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Base Resources would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that there was hardly any earnings per share growth to speak of for the company over the past year. However, a few strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 58% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to slump, contracting by 85% during the coming year according to the three analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 21%, which paints a poor picture.
In light of this, it's understandable that Base Resources' P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.
The Final Word
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.
We've established that Base Resources maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
It is also worth noting that we have found 3 warning signs for Base Resources (1 can't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.
You might be able to find a better investment than Base Resources. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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. 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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