A Sliding Share Price Has Us Looking At Georgia Healthcare Group PLC's (LON:GHG) P/E Ratio

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Georgia Healthcare Group (LON:GHG) share price has dived 37% in the last thirty days. And that drop will have no doubt have some shareholders concerned that the 62% share price decline, over the last year, has turned them into bagholders. For those wondering, a bagholder is someone who keeps holding a losing stock indefinitely, without taking the time to consider its prospects carefully, going forward.

Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for Georgia Healthcare Group

How Does Georgia Healthcare Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Georgia Healthcare Group's P/E of 9.31 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Georgia Healthcare Group has a lower P/E than the average (17.3) P/E for companies in the consumer retailing industry.

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Georgia Healthcare Group shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

Georgia Healthcare Group increased earnings per share by a whopping 33% last year. But earnings per share are down 3.2% per year over the last three years.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

Is Debt Impacting Georgia Healthcare Group's P/E?

Georgia Healthcare Group has net debt worth 56% of its market capitalization. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you should absolutely keep in mind it has significant borrowings.

The Bottom Line On Georgia Healthcare Group's P/E Ratio

Georgia Healthcare Group has a P/E of 9.3. That's below the average in the GB market, which is 12.5. The company has a meaningful amount of debt on the balance sheet, but that should not eclipse the solid earnings growth. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about Georgia Healthcare Group over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 14.8 back then to 9.3 today. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.

You might be able to find a better buy than Georgia Healthcare Group. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

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