Yahoo Finance What Is Harsco's (NYSE:HSC) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Rocketed?
Harsco (NYSE:HSC) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 30%, after some slippage. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down 23% in the last year.
Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less 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). So some would prefer to hold off buying when there is a lot of optimism towards a stock. 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.
View our latest analysis for Harsco
How Does Harsco's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
Harsco's P/E of 18.66 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see Harsco has a lower P/E than the average (22.7) in the machinery industry classification.
This suggests that market participants think Harsco will underperform other companies in its industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Harsco, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
Harsco's 199% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive.
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. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on 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.
Harsco's Balance Sheet
Harsco's net debt equates to 40% of its market capitalization. While it's worth keeping this in mind, it isn't a worry.
The Verdict On Harsco's P/E Ratio
Harsco trades on a P/E ratio of 18.7, which is fairly close to the US market average of 18.3. When you consider the impressive EPS growth last year (along with some debt), it seems the market has questions about whether rapid EPS growth will be sustained. What is very clear is that the market has become more optimistic about Harsco over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 14.3 back then to 18.7 today. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is 'blood in the streets', then you may feel the opportunity has passed.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.
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