Benign Growth For Pirelli & C. S.p.A. (BIT:PIRC) Underpins Its Share Price

Pirelli & C. S.p.A.'s (BIT:PIRC) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.6x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in Italy, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 18x and even P/E's above 30x are quite common. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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Recent times have been advantageous for Pirelli & C as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Pirelli & C

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How Is Pirelli & C's Growth Trending?

Pirelli & C's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 7.8%. EPS has also lifted 24% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 7.3% per annum as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 19% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Pirelli & C is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Final Word

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Pirelli & C'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. Unless these 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 2 warning signs for Pirelli & C that you need to be mindful of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Pirelli & C's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.