This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Groupe Open's (EPA:OPN) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. What is Groupe Open's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 19.99. That means that at current prices, buyers pay €19.99 for every €1 in trailing yearly profits.

Check out our latest analysis for Groupe Open

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Groupe Open:

P/E of 19.99 = €10.72 ÷ €0.54 (Based on the year to June 2019.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.

Does Groupe Open Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (17.4) for companies in the it industry is lower than Groupe Open's P/E.

That means that the market expects Groupe Open will outperform other companies in its industry. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

Groupe Open shrunk earnings per share by 63% over the last year. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 26% per year over the last three years. This might lead to low expectations.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

So What Does Groupe Open's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Groupe Open has net cash of €4.7m. That should lead to a higher P/E than if it did have debt, because its strong balance sheets gives it more options.