Yahoo Finance How Does Capstone Mining's (TSE:CS) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Capstone Mining (TSE:CS) shares are down a considerable 35% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 38% drop over twelve months.
Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. 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). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.
See our latest analysis for Capstone Mining
Does Capstone Mining Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
Capstone Mining's P/E of 10.10 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Capstone Mining has a lower P/E than the average (12.2) P/E for companies in the metals and mining industry.
This suggests that market participants think Capstone Mining will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. 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 unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
It's nice to see that Capstone Mining grew EPS by a stonking 31% in the last year.
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.
While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.
How Does Capstone Mining's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Capstone Mining has net debt worth a very significant 143% of its market capitalization. This level of debt justifies a relatively low P/E, so remain cognizant of the debt, if you're comparing it to other stocks.
The Bottom Line On Capstone Mining's P/E Ratio
Capstone Mining's P/E is 10.1 which is about average (10.7) in the CA market. The significant levels of debt do detract somewhat from the strong earnings growth. The P/E suggests that the market is not convinced EPS will continue to improve strongly. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become significantly less optimistic about Capstone Mining over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 15.7 back then to 10.1 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 have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Capstone Mining. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
