NYSE:GNW) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 6.7x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E’s above 38x are quite common. Nonetheless, we’d need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.” data-reactid=”28″>Genworth Financial, Inc.’s (NYSE:GNW) price-to-earnings (or “P/E”) ratio of 6.7x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E’s above 38x are quite common. Nonetheless, we’d need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.
Recent times have been pleasing for Genworth Financial as its earnings have risen in spite of the market’s earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you’d be hoping this isn’t the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it’s out of favour.
See our latest analysis for Genworth Financial ” data-reactid=”30″>See our latest analysis for Genworth Financial
free report on Genworth Financial.” data-reactid=”47″>If you’d like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Genworth Financial.
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?
Genworth Financial’s P/E ratio would be typical for a company that’s expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 78% last year. However, the latest three year period hasn’t been as great in aggregate as it didn’t manage to provide any growth at all. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn’t have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.
Turning to the outlook, the next year should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 171% as estimated by the sole analyst watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 3.5% growth , that’s a disappointing outcome.
With this information, we are not surprised that Genworth Financial is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there’s no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.
What We Can Learn From Genworth Financial’s 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.
As we suspected, our examination of Genworth Financial’s analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won’t provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.
Genworth Financial is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.” data-reactid=”56″>Having said that, be aware Genworth Financial is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.
list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x. ” data-reactid=”57″>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.
Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email [email protected].” data-reactid=”58″>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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