Why Investors Shouldn't Be Surprised By Canadian Solar Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CSIQ) Low P/E

NASDAQ:CSIQ) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.5x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 20x and even P/E’s above 38x 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.” data-reactid=”28″>Canadian Solar Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CSIQ) price-to-earnings (or “P/E”) ratio of 7.5x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 20x and even P/E’s above 38x 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.

Canadian Solar certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company’s earnings are going to fall away like everyone else’s soon. 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.

See our latest analysis for Canadian Solar ” data-reactid=”30″> See our latest analysis for Canadian Solar

free report is a great place to start.” data-reactid=”47″>Keen to find out how analysts think Canadian Solar’s future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

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

Canadian Solar’s P/E ratio would be typical for a company that’s expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 14%. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see EPS up by 818% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it’s fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 11% each year as estimated by the six analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 13% growth per year, that’s a disappointing outcome.

With this information, we are not surprised that Canadian Solar is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there’s no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. There’s potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn’t improve its profitability.

The Key Takeaway

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 Canadian Solar maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, 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. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

Canadian Solar has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.” data-reactid=”56″>You need to take note of risks, for example – Canadian Solar has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.” data-reactid=”57″>If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Canadian Solar, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email [email protected].” data-reactid=”58″>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. 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.

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