A low valuation can be a signal of an attractive opportunity or, conversely, a warning sign of structural problems. The US market currently has a group of companies with extremely low P/E ratios that lag the broader market, often by tens of percentage points. Some of these companies are facing regulatory risks, others are dealing with the consequences of changes in consumer behavior, and others are thriving. Which companies are among the most cheaply valued by this key multiplier today, and what is behind their significant discount?

The ratio of share price to earnings per share is one of the most closely watched metrics in fundamental analysis. A low P/E can signal an undervalued opportunity where the market does not believe in future growth or where temporary problems are pushing valuations down. But it can also be a so-called value trap, where a company is cheap precisely because its business model is losing relevance or facing structural problems that the market has correctly…