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This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Erie Indemnity Company's (NASDAQ:ERIE) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Erie Indemnity has a P/E ratio of 27.73. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 3.6%.
See our latest analysis for Erie Indemnity
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Erie Indemnity:
P/E of 27.73 = USD169.49 ÷ USD6.11 (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. All else being equal, it's better to pay a low price -- but as Warren Buffett said, 'It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price'.
How Does Erie Indemnity's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (17.0) for companies in the insurance industry is lower than Erie Indemnity's P/E.
That means that the market expects Erie Indemnity will outperform other companies in its industry. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
It's great to see that Erie Indemnity grew EPS by 24% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 12%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
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.