Yahoo Finance A Rising Share Price Has Us Looking Closely At JEMTEC Inc.'s (CVE:JTC) P/E Ratio
It's really great to see that even after a strong run, JEMTEC (CVE:JTC) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 30% in the last thirty days. That brought the twelve month gain to a very sharp 63%.
All else being equal, a sharp share price increase should make a stock less attractive to potential investors. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. 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.
Check out our latest analysis for JEMTEC
How Does JEMTEC's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can tell from its P/E ratio of 12.80 that sentiment around JEMTEC isn't particularly high. The image below shows that JEMTEC has a lower P/E than the average (16.6) P/E for companies in the electronic industry.
This suggests that market participants think JEMTEC 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. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.
JEMTEC saw earnings per share decrease by 2.9% last year.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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.
So What Does JEMTEC's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
With net cash of CA$2.4m, JEMTEC has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 44% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.
The Verdict On JEMTEC's P/E Ratio
JEMTEC trades on a P/E ratio of 12.8, which is below the CA market average of 15.8. The recent drop in earnings per share would almost certainly temper expectations, but the net cash position means the company has time to improve: if so, the low P/E could be an opportunity. What is very clear is that the market has become more optimistic about JEMTEC over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 9.8 back then to 12.8 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But the contrarian may see it as a missed opportunity.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
But note: JEMTEC 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.
