📖Peter Lynch

Earnings Slowdown

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Decelerating earnings growth is the earliest warning that a growth stock is maturing into something else.

💬

When earnings growth slows, it's time to reconsider.

— *One Up On Wall Street*，1989

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Just as an athlete who was once running at a great speed suddenly starts panting and noticeably slows down, you should consider whether they are running out of stamina and if it's time to bet on a different contender. The same logic applies when a company's earnings growth slows down—it signals that a once high-growth enterprise is beginning to show signs of fatigue.

📖 Core Interpretation

A significant slowdown in profit growth may serve as a sell signal.
💎 Key Insight：When a company's earnings growth slows from 25% to 20% to 15%, the market has not yet fully processed the deceleration but will soon. This is the window to reassess. Is the slowdown temporary, or has the company saturated its market? Lynch watches for two consecutive quarters of decelerating growth as a signal to investigate further and potentially trim the position.

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❓ Why It Matters

A slowdown in growth indicates that the high-growth phase may be coming to an end.

🎯 How to Practice

Compare with historical growth rates to assess whether the slowdown is temporary or indicative of a trend.

🎙️ Master's Voice

Understand the nature of the companies you own and the specific reasons for holding the stock.
Lynch documented reasons for every purchase. This discipline prevented impulse decisions and enabled objective selling.

⚔️ Practical Guide

✅ Decision Checklist

  • Do I understand why I own this?
  • Have I documented my thesis?
  • Can I review my reasoning?

📋 Action Steps

  1. Write down reasons for each holding
  2. Review periodically
  3. Update as facts change

🚨 Warning Signs

  • No documented thesis
  • Cannot explain holdings
  • Forgotten original reasons

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

✕A slowdown over one or two quarters could be noise.
✕Focus on the long-term trend.

📚 Case Studies

1
Cyclicals Hit Recession Wall (1990)
An industrial cyclical with record earnings suddenly warned of a profit slowdown as a mild U.S. recession began, triggering a sharp share-price drop.
✨ Outcome：Lynch trimmed, recognizing peak earnings and fading tailwinds, and redeployed into more reasonably valued, early‑cycle recovery names.
2
Retail Darling Loses Momentum (1989)
A fast-growing specialty retailer posted several years of 20%+ earnings growth, then warned of slowing same-store sales and margin pressure from competition.
✨ Outcome：Lynch sold after the earnings deceleration confirmed growth was reverting to average, preventing a larger capital loss as the multiple compressed.

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