The Market Doesn't Like What It Sees From AVG Logistics Limited's (NSE:AVG) Earnings Yet As Shares Tumble 26%

AVG Logistics Limited (NSE:AVG) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 26% share price drop in the last month. For any long-term shareholders, the last month ends a year to forget by locking in a 61% share price decline.

Although its price has dipped substantially, AVG Logistics' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.8x might still make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in India, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 26x and even P/E's above 49x 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 so limited.

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For example, consider that AVG Logistics' financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for AVG Logistics

Although there are no analyst estimates available for AVG Logistics, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is AVG Logistics' Growth Trending?

AVG Logistics' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 53%. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 45% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing earnings over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 25% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

In light of this, it's understandable that AVG Logistics' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

The Key Takeaway

AVG Logistics' P/E looks about as weak as its stock price lately. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of AVG Logistics revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for AVG Logistics (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you need to be mindful of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.