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This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at New Hope Corporation Limited's (ASX:NHC) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, New Hope has a P/E ratio of 8.34. That means that at current prices, buyers pay A$8.34 for every A$1 in trailing yearly profits.
View our latest analysis for New Hope
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for New Hope:
P/E of 8.34 = AUD2.11 ÷ AUD0.25 (Based on the year to July 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.
How Does New Hope's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (12.3) for companies in the oil and gas industry is higher than New Hope's P/E.
New Hope's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with New Hope, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
New Hope increased earnings per share by an impressive 12% over the last twelve months. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 29%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
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. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.