A Rising Share Price Has Us Looking Closely At Croma Security Solutions Group plc's (LON:CSSG) P/E Ratio

Croma Security Solutions Group (LON:CSSG) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 32%, after some slippage. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down 21% in the last year.

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). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios.

View our latest analysis for Croma Security Solutions Group

How Does Croma Security Solutions Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Croma Security Solutions Group's P/E of 12.60 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (18.6) for companies in the electronic industry is higher than Croma Security Solutions Group's P/E.

This suggests that market participants think Croma Security Solutions Group will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

Croma Security Solutions Group shrunk earnings per share by 43% over the last year. But it has grown its earnings per share by 16% per year over the last five years.

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

One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

Croma Security Solutions Group's Balance Sheet

With net cash of UK£2.3m, Croma Security Solutions Group has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 21% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.

The Bottom Line On Croma Security Solutions Group's P/E Ratio

Croma Security Solutions Group's P/E is 12.6 which is below average (14.7) in the GB market. The recent drop in earnings per share would make investors cautious, the healthy balance sheet means the company retains potential for future growth. If that occurs, the current low P/E could prove to be temporary. What we know for sure is that investors have become more excited about Croma Security Solutions Group recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 9.6 to 12.6 over the last month. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might mean it's time to put the stock on a watchlist, or research it. But the contrarian may see it as a missed opportunity.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. 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 could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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 modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

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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.