Investors Aren't Buying Buzzi S.p.A.'s (BIT:BZU) Earnings

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.5x Buzzi S.p.A. (BIT:BZU) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Italy have P/E ratios greater than 15x and even P/E's higher than 22x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

Recent times have been advantageous for Buzzi 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 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Buzzi

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

Is There Any Growth For Buzzi?

Buzzi'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.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 20% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 90% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 1.4% per annum during the coming three years according to the twelve analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 13% per annum, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Buzzi 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

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

As we suspected, our examination of Buzzi'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.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Buzzi with six simple checks.

You might be able to find a better investment than Buzzi. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.