Yahoo Finance What Is M&T Bank's (NYSE:MTB) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?
Unfortunately for some shareholders, the M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB) share price has dived 48% in the last thirty days. That drop has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 43% in that time.
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. 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). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.
View our latest analysis for M&T Bank
Does M&T Bank Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
M&T Bank's P/E of 6.40 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see M&T Bank has a lower P/E than the average (8.3) in the banks industry classification.
M&T Bank's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with M&T Bank, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
M&T Bank's earnings per share grew by 7.9% in the last twelve months. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 13%.
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. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.
Is Debt Impacting M&T Bank's P/E?
M&T Bank has net cash of US$1.3b. This is fairly high at 10% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.
The Bottom Line On M&T Bank's P/E Ratio
M&T Bank has a P/E of 6.4. That's below the average in the US market, which is 11.5. EPS was up modestly better over the last twelve months. Also positive, the relatively strong balance sheet will allow for investment in growth. In contrast, the P/E indicates shareholders doubt that will happen! What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about M&T Bank over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 12.3 back then to 6.4 today. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
But note: M&T Bank may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio 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.
