Personal Group Holdings Plc's (LON:PGH) Share Price Is Matching Sentiment Around Its Earnings
Personal Group Holdings Plc's (LON:PGH) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 9.6x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in the United Kingdom, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 18x and even P/E's above 37x are quite common. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
For example, consider that Personal Group Holdings' financial performance has been pretty ordinary lately as earnings growth is non-existent. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this benign earnings growth rate will likely underperform the broader market in the near future. If not, then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Personal Group Holdings
Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Personal Group Holdings will help you shine a light on its historical performance.
Is There Any Growth For Personal Group Holdings?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Personal Group Holdings would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's bottom line as the year before. Whilst it's an improvement, it wasn't enough to get the company out of the hole it was in, with earnings down 3.7% overall from three years ago. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 2.8% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.
In light of this, it's understandable that Personal Group Holdings' P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.
The Key Takeaway
While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.
As we suspected, our examination of Personal Group Holdings revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.
Having said that, be aware Personal Group Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.
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 a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E 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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