There's No Escaping Subaru Corporation's (TSE:7270) Muted Earnings

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.2x Subaru Corporation (TSE:7270) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Japan have P/E ratios greater than 15x and even P/E's higher than 23x 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 Subaru 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.

See our latest analysis for Subaru

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

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 115% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 206% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 5.2% each year over the next three years. With the market predicted to deliver 11% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Subaru is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

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.

We've established that Subaru maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, 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.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Subaru you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Subaru'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.