ONE S.A.'s (WSE:FMG) Shares Bounce 26% But Its Business Still Trails The Market

The ONE S.A. (WSE:FMG) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 26%. The annual gain comes to 120% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, ONE's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 2.5x might still make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in Poland, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 12x and even P/E's above 22x 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.

For instance, ONE's receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. 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 ONE

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

Is There Any Growth For ONE?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, ONE would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 16% decrease to the company's bottom line. This has erased any of its gains during the last three years, with practically no change in EPS being achieved in total. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

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

In light of this, it's understandable that ONE's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From ONE's P/E?

ONE's recent share price jump still sees its P/E sitting firmly flat on the ground. While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that ONE maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 4 warning signs for ONE (3 are a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.