AltynGold plc (LON:ALTN) Held Back By Insufficient Growth Even After Shares Climb 85%

Despite an already strong run, AltynGold plc (LON:ALTN) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 85% in the last thirty days. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 35%.

Even after such a large jump in price, AltynGold's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 2.6x might still make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in the United Kingdom, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 14x and even P/E's above 27x 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.

With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, AltynGold has been doing very well. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. 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 AltynGold

We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on AltynGold's 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 AltynGold's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 57% gain to the company's bottom line. Still, EPS has barely risen at all from three years ago in total, which is not ideal. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 5.1% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's understandable that AltynGold'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.

The Bottom Line On AltynGold's P/E

AltynGold's recent share price jump still sees its P/E sitting firmly flat on the ground. 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 AltynGold maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for AltynGold (1 is potentially serious) you should be aware of.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly and trade on P/E's below 20x.

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.

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