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What Is Tourism Holdings's (NZSE:THL) P/E Ratio After Its Share Price Rocketed?

Tourism Holdings (NZSE:THL) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 41% in the last month alone, although it is still down 31% over the last quarter. However, that doesn't change the fact that longer term shareholders might have been mercilessly wrecked by the 56% share price decline throughout the year.

All else being equal, a sharp share price increase should make a stock less attractive to potential investors. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So some would prefer to hold off buying when there is a lot of optimism towards a stock. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock 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.

View our latest analysis for Tourism Holdings

Does Tourism Holdings Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

Tourism Holdings's P/E of 9.40 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see Tourism Holdings has a lower P/E than the average (13.2) in the transportation industry classification.

NZSE:THL Price Estimation Relative to Market May 28th 2020
NZSE:THL Price Estimation Relative to Market May 28th 2020

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Tourism Holdings shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Companies that shrink earnings per share quickly will rapidly decrease the 'E' in the equation. 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.

Tourism Holdings saw earnings per share decrease by 60% last year. But it has grown its earnings per share by 7.4% per year over the last five years. And over the longer term (3 years) earnings per share have decreased 8.3% annually. This might lead to low expectations.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

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).

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

How Does Tourism Holdings's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Tourism Holdings has net debt worth 73% of its market capitalization. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you should absolutely keep in mind it has significant borrowings.

The Bottom Line On Tourism Holdings's P/E Ratio

Tourism Holdings trades on a P/E ratio of 9.4, which is below the NZ market average of 18.4. When you consider that the company has significant debt, and didn't grow EPS last year, it isn't surprising that the market has muted expectations. What is very clear is that the market has become less pessimistic about Tourism Holdings over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 6.7 back then to 9.4 today. For those who like to invest in turnarounds, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But others might consider the opportunity to have passed.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. 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. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.

You might be able to find a better buy than Tourism Holdings. 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).

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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.