In This Article:
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 Nordic Group Limited's (SGX:MR7) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, Nordic Group's P/E ratio is 16.89. That means that at current prices, buyers pay SGD16.89 for every SGD1 in trailing yearly profits.
See our latest analysis for Nordic Group
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 Nordic Group:
P/E of 16.89 = SGD0.32 ÷ SGD0.02 (Based on the year to September 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. 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 Nordic Group'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 (16.4) for companies in the construction industry is roughly the same as Nordic Group's P/E.
That indicates that the market expects Nordic Group will perform roughly in line with other companies in its industry. So if Nordic Group actually outperforms its peers going forward, that should be a positive for the share price. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.
Nordic Group saw earnings per share decrease by 52% last year. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 1.3% per year over the last five years. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.