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What Is Lingotes Especiales's (BME:LGT) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Tanked?

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Lingotes Especiales (BME:LGT) share price has dived 32% in the last thirty days. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 37% drop over twelve months.

Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. 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. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. 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.

See our latest analysis for Lingotes Especiales

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

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 10.40 that there is some investor optimism about Lingotes Especiales. As you can see below, Lingotes Especiales has a higher P/E than the average company (7.9) in the auto components industry.

BME:LGT Price Estimation Relative to Market March 30th 2020
BME:LGT Price Estimation Relative to Market March 30th 2020

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Lingotes Especiales shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.

Lingotes Especiales shrunk earnings per share by 5.1% last year. But EPS is up 17% over the last 5 years. And over the longer term (3 years) earnings per share have decreased 5.9% annually. So we might expect a relatively low P/E.

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.

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.

Lingotes Especiales's Balance Sheet

Lingotes Especiales has net debt worth 17% of its market capitalization. This could bring some additional risk, and reduce the number of investment options for management; worth remembering if you compare its P/E to businesses without debt.

The Bottom Line On Lingotes Especiales's P/E Ratio

Lingotes Especiales trades on a P/E ratio of 10.4, which is below the ES market average of 14.0. The debt levels are not a major concern, but the lack of EPS growth is likely weighing on sentiment. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become less optimistic about Lingotes Especiales over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 15.2 back then to 10.4 today. For those who don't like to trade against momentum, that could be a warning sign, but a contrarian investor might want to take a closer look.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. 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. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

You might be able to find a better buy than Lingotes Especiales. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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.