Logic Instrument S.A. (EPA:ALLOG) Could Be Riskier Than It Looks

When close to half the companies in France have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 15x, you may consider Logic Instrument S.A. (EPA:ALLOG) as an attractive investment with its 8.8x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Logic Instrument has been doing quite well of late. 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 you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for Logic Instrument

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Logic Instrument.

How Is Logic Instrument's Growth Trending?

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 75%. However, the latest three year period hasn't been as great in aggregate as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 18% per year as estimated by the one analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 14% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Logic Instrument'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.

The Final Word

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Logic Instrument currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. 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.

Having said that, be aware Logic Instrument is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Logic Instrument. 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.