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A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At Arconic Inc.'s (NYSE:ARNC) P/E Ratio

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Arconic (NYSE:ARNC) share price has dived 49% in the last thirty days. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 15% over that longer period.

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 implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for Arconic

How Does Arconic's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Arconic's P/E is 15.41. As you can see below Arconic has a P/E ratio that is fairly close for the average for the aerospace & defense industry, which is 14.5.

NYSE:ARNC Price Estimation Relative to Market March 26th 2020
NYSE:ARNC Price Estimation Relative to Market March 26th 2020

That indicates that the market expects Arconic will perform roughly in line with other companies in its industry. If the company has better than average prospects, then the market might be underestimating it. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.

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. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

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Arconic's earnings per share fell by 21% in the last twelve months.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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 Arconic's P/E?

Arconic's net debt is 61% of its market cap. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.

The Bottom Line On Arconic's P/E Ratio

Arconic's P/E is 15.4 which is above average (12.6) in its market. With significant debt and no EPS growth last year, shareholders are betting on an improvement in earnings from the company. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become significantly less optimistic about Arconic over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 30.2 back then to 15.4 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. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.

But note: Arconic 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.