A warning about buying stocks during this unprecedented time...
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Don't Focus on the Percentage Changes
One warning we leave for investors is to not focus on percentage changes. It's easy to see your favorite stock down 30-40% and assume the pullback can represent a buying opportunity. Two mechanisms can drive equity prices significantly lower and highlight the current market risk which some investors may be underestimating.
Revisions are lower to earnings forecasts.
A contraction in valuations-multiples.
Let's take Apple Inc (AAPL) which is currently trading at $260 and down by 21% from its all-time high at $327 set in early February. Based on current consensus estimates that the company can post $13.54 in EPS for fiscal 2020, the stock is trading at a forward P/E of 19.2x. On the other hand, we highlight that the 10-year average P/E for the stock is 15.5x and the stock traded with a P/E as low as 12x in early 2019.
Let's envision a scenario were the EPS estimate for the current year is revised lower by 10% to $12.20 per share based on the weaker operating environment, slower sales as an all-encompassing impact to the current global coronavirus situation. The actual EPS impact could be more severe in our opinion. In this case, the stock is trading at a forward P/E of 21.5x on our "new" EPS estimate.
Given a more pessimistic outlook and bearish sentiment, we think lower multiples are justified across the market. For APPL let's assign a normalized forward P/E for the stock at 15.0x in our example. With a revised lower 2020 EPS estimate of $12.20, the stock can trade at $190 representing another 25% downside. At that point, a case could still be made that the stock is expensive should the longer-term outlook remain weak. In a more bearish scenario, EPS estimates could be revised even lower, and the stock could trade with an even more depressing forward P/E multiple.
Our point is that this type of valuation analysis can be applied to any stock and highlights the ongoing risks of equities. Don't assume that a 20-30% drop in the market means anything is "cheap". If earnings estimates across S&P 500 companies face a reset lower, lower valuation multiples imply the index still has a downside.
To be clear, it's also possible that the stock maintains its valuation premium essentially trading with a higher multiple even as EPS estimates move lower. In this case, the stock price could be supported at current levels. A faster-than-expected containment of the virus and limited disruptions would represent the upside scenario.
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Source:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4331607-sell-rips-december-2018-market-low-is-next-downside-target