Market Might Still Lack Some Conviction On Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) Even After 30% Share Price Boost
Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 30% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 29% over that time.
Although its price has surged higher, Genworth Financial may still be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.8x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 18x and even P/E's higher than 36x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
Genworth Financial certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Genworth Financial
Keen to find out how analysts think Genworth Financial's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.
How Is Genworth Financial's Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Genworth Financial's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 78% last year. Still, EPS has barely risen at all from three years ago in total, which is not ideal. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 31% per year during the coming three years according to the lone analyst following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 13% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.
In light of this, it's peculiar that Genworth Financial's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.
What We Can Learn From Genworth Financial's P/E?
Shares in Genworth Financial are going to need a lot more upward momentum to get the company's P/E out of its slump. It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
Our examination of Genworth Financial's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.
You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Genworth Financial you should be aware of.
You might be able to find a better investment than Genworth Financial. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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