Improved Earnings Required Before Wüstenrot & Württembergische AG (ETR:WUW) Shares Find Their Feet

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7x Wüstenrot & Württembergische AG (ETR:WUW) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Germany have P/E ratios greater than 17x and even P/E's higher than 34x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Wüstenrot & Württembergische has been very sluggish. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. You'd much rather the company wasn't bleeding earnings if you still believe in the business. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Wüstenrot & Württembergische

Keen to find out how analysts think Wüstenrot & Württembergische's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is Wüstenrot & Württembergische's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Wüstenrot & Württembergische's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 38% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 9.3% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 8.7% during the coming year according to the lone analyst following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 15% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Wüstenrot & Württembergische is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Wüstenrot & Württembergische's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Wüstenrot & Württembergische has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Wüstenrot & Württembergische. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.