The Market Doesn't Like What It Sees From CN Energy Group. Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CNEY) Earnings Yet As Shares Tumble 57%

To the annoyance of some shareholders, CN Energy Group. Inc. (NASDAQ:CNEY) shares are down a considerable 57% in the last month, which continues a horrid run for the company. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 79% share price decline.

After such a large drop in price, CN Energy Group may be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 9.5x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 16x and even P/E's higher than 30x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, CN Energy Group has been doing very well. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for CN Energy Group

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We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on CN Energy Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like CN Energy Group's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 387% gain to the company's bottom line. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 75% drop in EPS in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 6.4% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

In light of this, it's understandable that CN Energy Group's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Key Takeaway

CN Energy Group's recently weak share price has pulled its P/E below most other companies. 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 CN Energy Group maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its sliding earnings over the medium-term, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 5 warning signs for CN Energy Group (4 are potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful of.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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