TTM Technologies, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTMI) Share Price Matching Investor Opinion

TTM Technologies, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTMI) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 41.6x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 19x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

TTM Technologies has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for TTM Technologies

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If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on TTM Technologies.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, TTM Technologies would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 71%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 65% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 35% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 14% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that TTM Technologies' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

What We Can Learn From TTM Technologies' P/E?

The price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that TTM Technologies maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You need to take note of risks, for example - TTM Technologies has 4 warning signs (and 2 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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.

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. 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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