United Community Financial Corp (NASDAQ:UCFC) trades with a trailing P/E of 23.4x, which is higher than the industry average of 19.6x. Although some investors may jump to the conclusion that you should avoid the stock or sell if you own it, understanding the assumptions behind the P/E ratio might change your mind. Today, I will break down what the P/E ratio is, how to interpret it and what to watch out for. Check out our latest analysis for United Community Financial
Breaking down the P/E ratio
P/E is a popular ratio used for relative valuation. By comparing a stock’s price per share to its earnings per share, we are able to see how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
P/E Calculation for UCFC
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
UCFC Price-Earnings Ratio = 9.75 ÷ 0.416 = 23.4x
The P/E ratio itself doesn’t tell you a lot; however, it becomes very insightful when you compare it with other similar companies. We preferably want to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar features to UCFC, such as capital structure and profitability. A common peer group is companies that exist in the same industry, which is what I use. Since UCFC's P/E of 23.4x is higher than its industry peers (19.6x), it means that investors are paying more than they should for each dollar of UCFC's earnings. As such, our analysis shows that UCFC represents an over-priced stock.
Assumptions to be aware of
Before you jump to the conclusion that UCFC should be banished from your portfolio, it is important to realise that our conclusion rests on two assertions. Firstly, our peer group contains companies that are similar to UCFC. If this isn’t the case, the difference in P/E could be due to other factors. For example, if you compared lower risk firms with UCFC, then investors would naturally value it at a lower price since it is a riskier investment. The second assumption that must hold true is that the stocks we are comparing UCFC to are fairly valued by the market. If this does not hold true, UCFC’s lower P/E ratio may be because firms in our peer group are overvalued by the market.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? If your personal research into the stock confirms what the P/E ratio is telling you, it might be a good time to rebalance your portfolio and reduce your holdings in UCFC. But keep in mind that the usefulness of relative valuation depends on whether you are comfortable with making the assumptions I mentioned above.
Are you a potential investor? If UCFC has been on your watch list for a while, it is best you also consider its intrinsic valuation. Looking at PE on its own will not give you the full picture of the stock as an investment, so I suggest you should also look at other relative valuation metrics like EV/EBITDA or PEG.