Market Cool On Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited's (NZSE:LIC) Earnings

Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited's (NZSE:LIC) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 5x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in New Zealand, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 19x and even P/E's above 31x are quite common. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Livestock Improvement has been doing very well. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Livestock Improvement

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

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

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 340%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 185% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 16% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we find it odd that Livestock Improvement is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

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.

We've established that Livestock Improvement currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider market forecast. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching this positive performance. At least price risks look to be very low if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 5 warning signs for Livestock Improvement (2 don't sit too well with us!) 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.