Fortum Oyj (HEL:FORTUM) Looks Inexpensive But Perhaps Not Attractive Enough

Fortum Oyj's (HEL:FORTUM) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 16.9x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in Finland, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 21x and even P/E's above 31x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

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With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Fortum Oyj has been very sluggish. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions. Or at the very least, you'd be hoping the earnings slide doesn't get any worse if your plan is to pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

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Is There Any Growth For Fortum Oyj?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Fortum Oyj's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 27% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 85% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 4.6% per annum over the next three years. That's not great when the rest of the market is expected to grow by 16% per year.

In light of this, it's understandable that Fortum Oyj's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

The Key Takeaway

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Fortum Oyj maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Fortum Oyj (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.

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

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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.