Yahoo Finanzen How Does FONAR's (NASDAQ:FONR) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After Its Big Share Price Gain?
FONAR (NASDAQ:FONR) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 32%, after some slippage. And the full year gain of 12% isn't too shabby, either!
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. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.
View our latest analysis for FONAR
How Does FONAR's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
FONAR's P/E of 13.02 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (45.5) for companies in the medical equipment industry is higher than FONAR's P/E.
Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that FONAR shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with FONAR, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, 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. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.
FONAR saw earnings per share decrease by 42% last year. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 16% per year over the last three years. This could justify a low P/E.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
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. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).
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.
Is Debt Impacting FONAR's P/E?
FONAR has net cash of US$31m. This is fairly high at 20% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.
The Bottom Line On FONAR's P/E Ratio
FONAR trades on a P/E ratio of 13.0, which is below the US market average of 15.0. The recent drop in earnings per share would make investors cautious, but the net cash position means the company has time to improve: if so, the low P/E could be an opportunity. What we know for sure is that investors have become more excited about FONAR recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 9.9 to 13.0 over the last month. 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 should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. Although we don't have analyst forecasts you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than FONAR. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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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. Thank you for reading.
