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How Does Southern First Bancshares's (NASDAQ:SFST) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After The Share Price Drop?

Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) share price has dived 30% in the last thirty days. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 22% over that longer period.

All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. 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. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.

View our latest analysis for Southern First Bancshares

Does Southern First Bancshares Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

Southern First Bancshares's P/E of 7.17 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Southern First Bancshares has a lower P/E than the average (8.8) P/E for companies in the banks industry.

NasdaqGM:SFST Price Estimation Relative to Market March 29th 2020
NasdaqGM:SFST Price Estimation Relative to Market March 29th 2020

Southern First Bancshares's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. 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

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

It's great to see that Southern First Bancshares grew EPS by 23% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 26%. So one might expect an above average P/E ratio.

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

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

Southern First Bancshares's Balance Sheet

Southern First Bancshares has net debt worth 12% of its market capitalization. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth.

The Bottom Line On Southern First Bancshares's P/E Ratio

Southern First Bancshares trades on a P/E ratio of 7.2, which is below the US market average of 13.0. The EPS growth last year was strong, and debt levels are quite reasonable. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about Southern First Bancshares over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 10.3 back then to 7.2 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Southern First Bancshares. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.