Stock FAQs

what does a 12-month p/e ratio tell you about a stock

by Joseph Glover Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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A company’s stock price is driven by its ability to generate profits. The P/E ratio compares those two things directly — It’s the company’s share price divided by its earnings per share (typically for the past 12 months). P/E ratios give investors a measure of how “expensive” a stock is for each dollar of profitability.

The price/earnings ratio, also called the P/E ratio, tells investors how much a company is worth. The P/E ratio simply the stock price divided by the company's earnings per share for a designated period like the past 12 months. The price/earnings ratio conveys how much investors will pay per share for $1 of earnings.

Full Answer

What is the P/E ratio of a stock?

The P/E ratio can help us determine from a valuation perspective which of the two is cheaper. If the sector’s average P/E is 15, Stock A has a P/E = 15 and Stock B has a P/E = 30, stock A is cheaper despite having a higher absolute price than Stock B, because you pay less for every $1 of current earnings.

Is the P/E ratio a sound indicator of stock market returns?

The P/E ratio is not a sound indicator of the short-term price movements of a stock or index. There is some evidence, however, of an inverse correlation between the P/E ratio of the S&P 500 and future returns. Some studies show that an above-average Shiller P/E ratio suggests lower stock market returns over the following 10 years.

What is the trailing P/E ratio and why does it matter?

The trailing P/E ratio will change as the price of a company’s stock moves, since earnings are only released each quarter while stocks trade day in and day out. As a result, some investors prefer the forward P/E.

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Is a 12 PE ratio good?

P/E ratio indicates what amount an investor is paying against every dollar of earnings. A higher P/E ratio indicates that an investor is paying more for each unit of net income. So P/E ratio between 12 to 15 is acceptable.

What is a good PE ratio for stocks?

So, what is a good PE ratio for a stock? A “good” P/E ratio isn't necessarily a high ratio or a low ratio on its own. The market average P/E ratio currently ranges from 20-25, so a higher PE above that could be considered bad, while a lower PE ratio could be considered better.

Is PE ratio a good indicator?

To many investors, the price-earnings ratio is the single most indispensable indicator for any stock purchase.

Is a 16 PE ratio good?

We can say that a stock with a P/E ratio significantly higher than 16 to 17 is “expensive” compared to the long-term average for the market, but that doesn't necessarily mean the stock is “overvalued.”

Is a 14 PE ratio good?

Higher P/E stocks, in general, are considered more expensive; while lower P/E stocks are, in general, considered cheap. Over history, the average P/E ratio of the stock market has been around 15-17.

Is 13 a good PE ratio?

However, companies that grow faster than average typically have higher P/Es, such as technology companies. A higher P/E ratio shows that investors are willing to pay a higher share price today because of growth expectations in the future. The average P/E for the S&P 500 has historically ranged from 13 to 15.

Should I buy high or low PE ratio?

P/E ratio, or price-to-earnings ratio, is a quick way to see if a stock is undervalued or overvalued. And so generally speaking, the lower the P/E ratio is, the better it is for both the business and potential investors. The metric is the stock price of a company divided by its earnings per share.

Is a 9 PE ratio good?

An investment with a below-average P/E ratio would be classified as a value investment. Citigroup, with a price-to-earnings ratio under 9, would be considered a value company. The P/E ratio can be used to compare two or more companies.

Is 200 a high PE ratio?

A P/E ratio of 200 is high. But it is basically saying that people expect the company to grow earnings to be 15 to 20 times as large as they are now (so the P/E ratio would be 10 to 15). If you don't think that the company has that kind of potential, don't invest.

Is 30 a good PE ratio?

P/E 30 Ratio Explained A P/E of 30 is high by historical stock market standards. This type of valuation is usually placed on only the fastest-growing companies by investors in the company's early stages of growth. Once a company becomes more mature, it will grow more slowly and the P/E tends to decline.

What is Amazon PE ratio?

Amazon reported 50.38 in PE Price to Earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2021.

What is Tesla's PE ratio?

The PE ratio is a simple way to assess whether a stock is over or under valued and is the most widely used valuation measure. Tesla PE ratio as of June 24, 2022 is 100.02.

Price Earnings Ratio Formula

P/E = Stock Price Per Share / Earnings Per ShareorP/E = Market Capitalization / Total Net EarningsorJustified P/E = Dividend Payout Ratio / R – Gwh...

P/E Ratio Formula Explanation

The basic P/E formula takes current stock price and EPS to find the current P/E. EPS is found by taking earnings from the last twelve months divide...

Why Use The Price Earnings Ratio?

Investors want to buy financially sound companies that offer cheap shares. Among the many ratios, the P/E is part of the research process for selec...

Limitations of Price Earnings Ratio

Finding the true value of a stock cannot just be calculated using current year earnings. The value depends on all expected future cash flows and ea...

How long does it take to get a P/E ratio of 25?

If a company’s stock is trading at $100 per share, for example, and the company generates $4 per share in annual earnings, the P/E ratio of the company’s stock would be 25 (100 / 4). To put it another way, given the company’s current earnings, it would take 25 years of accumulated earnings to equal the cost of the investment.

How is P/E ratio calculated?

The P/E ratio is closely related to earnings yield. Where the P/E ratio is calculated by dividing the price of a stock by its earnings, the earnings yield is calculated by dividing the earnings of a stock by a stock’s current price. It expresses earnings as a percentage of a stock’s price.

What Is the PEG Ratio?

The PEG Ratio is also related to the P/E ratio in important ways. Calculated by dividing the P/E ratio by the anticipated growth rate of a stock, the PEG Ratio evaluates a company’s value based on both its current earnings and its future growth prospects.

What is the Shiller P/E ratio?

A third approach is to use average earnings over a period of time. The most well known example of this approach is the Shiller P/E ratio, also known as the CAP/E ratio (cyclically adjusted price earnings ratio).

What is earnings yield?

The earnings yield is often compared to current bond interest rates. Referred to by the acronym BEER (bond equity earnings yield ratio), this ratio shows the relationship between bond yields and earnings yields. Some studies suggest that it is a reliable indicator of stock price movements over the short-term.

Why use P/E ratio?

The most common use of the P/E ratio is to gauge the valuation of a stock or index. The higher the ratio, the more expensive a stock is relative to its earnings. The lower the ratio, the less expensive the stock. In this way, stocks and equity mutual funds can be classified as “growth” or “value” investments.

What websites use trailing P/E?

Many financial websites, such as Google Finance and Yahoo! Finance, use the trailing P/E ratio. Popular investment apps M1 Finance and Robinhood use TTM earnings as well. For example, each of these sites recently reported the P/E ratio of Apple at about 33 (as of early August 2020).

What does low P/E mean in stocks?

Companies with a low Price Earnings Ratio are often considered to be value stocks. It means they are undervalued because their stock price trade lower relative to its fundamentals. This mispricing will be a great bargain and will prompt investors to buy the stock before the market corrects it. And when it does, investors make a profit as a result of a higher stock price. Examples of low P/E stocks can be found in mature industries that pay a steady rate of dividends#N#Dividend A dividend is a share of profits and retained earnings that a company pays out to its shareholders. When a company generates a profit and accumulates retained earnings, those earnings can be either reinvested in the business or paid out to shareholders as a dividend.#N#.

What is justified P/E ratio?

The justified P/E ratio#N#Justified Price to Earnings Ratio The justified price to earnings ratio is the price to earnings ratio that is "justified" by using the Gordon Growth Model. This version of the popular P/E ratio uses a variety of underlying fundamental factors such as cost of equity and growth rate.#N#above is calculated independently of the standard P/E. In other words, the two ratios should produce two different results. If the P/E is lower than the justified P/E ratio, the company is undervalued, and purchasing the stock will result in profits if the alpha#N#Alpha Alpha is a measure of the performance of an investment relative to a suitable benchmark index such as the S&P 500. An alpha of one (the baseline value is zero) shows that the return on the investment during a specified time frame outperformed the overall market average by 1%.#N#is closed.

What is a peg ratio?

PEG Ratio PEG Ratio is the P/E ratio of a company divided by the forecasted Growth in earnings (hence "PEG"). It is useful for adjusting high growth companies. The ratio adjusts the traditional P/E ratio by taking into account the growth rate in earnings per share that are expected in the future. Examples, and guide to PEG

What is a growth stock?

Companies with a high Price Earnings Ratio are often considered to be growth stocks. This indicates a positive future performance, and investors have higher expectations for future earnings growth and are willing to pay more for them. The downside to this is that growth stocks are often higher in volatility, and this puts a lot of pressure on companies to do more to justify their higher valuation. For this reason, investing in growth stocks will more likely be seen as a risky#N#Risk Aversion Risk aversion refers to the tendency of an economic agent to strictly prefer certainty to uncertainty. An economic agent exhibiting risk aversion is said to be risk averse. Formally, a risk averse agent strictly prefers the expected value of a gamble to the gamble itself.#N#investment. Stocks with high P/E ratios can also be considered overvalued.

How to find current P/E?

The basic P/E formula takes the current stock price and EPS to find the current P/E. EPS is found by taking earnings from the last twelve months divided by the weighted average shares outstanding#N#Weighted Average Shares Outstanding Weighted average shares outstanding refers to the number of shares of a company calculated after adjusting for changes in the share capital over a reporting period. The number of weighted average shares outstanding is used in calculating metrics such as Earnings per Share (EPS) on a company's financial statements#N#. Earnings can be normalized#N#Normalization Financial statements normalization involves adjusting non-recurring expenses or revenues in financial statements or metrics so that they only reflect the usual transactions of a company. Financial statements often contain expenses that do not constitute a company's normal business operations#N#for unusual or one-off items that can impact earnings#N#Net Income Net Income is a key line item, not only in the income statement, but in all three core financial statements. While it is arrived at through#N#abnormally. Learn more about normalized EPS#N#Normalized EPS Normalized EPS refers to adjustments made to the income statement to reflect the up and down cycles of the economy.#N#.

What is the difference between EPS and fair value?

It is a popular ratio that gives investors a better sense of the value. Fair Value Fair value refers to the actual value of an asset - a product, stock, or security - that is agreed upon by both the seller and the buyer.

What is equity research analyst?

Equity Research Analyst An equity research analyst provides research coverage of public companies and distributes that research to clients.

What does a P/E ratio tell you about a stock?

It’s not that black and white. A company’s P/E ratio though tells you about how investors value a company. Do they think profits will grow in the future, stay the same, or maybe shrink?

Why do you need to know the P/E ratio?

Using another company as a benchmark: If you’re deciding between two stocks to invest in, knowing the P/E ratio’s of them is just another way to help you make a decision. It tells you which is more “expensive” than the other, and gives you a signal of what investors think about the two stocks’ future profits.

Why is P/E a better way to compare stocks of different companies?

The stock price is the value of a stock. But what is a stock? It’s one ownership share of a company — Its value depends not only on the company’s value, but also on the number of shares there are. Think about pizza. Is a $1 piece of pizza expensive? It depends how big the piece is. You need to think how big the piece of stock is, too.

What does low P/E mean?

A low P/E = expectations that profits could shrink in the future. Think about the horse industry. Before the car was invented, owning stock of a horse ranch may have been profitable — If there were a stock for “Horse Inc.” it may have had a high price. But then the car was invented. Investors might have sold shares of Horse Inc. on expectations that future profits would shrink. As the stock price fell, that would cause the P/E ratio of Horse Inc. to fall.

How does P/E work?

P/E ratio controls for the size of the “piece of pizza” by calculating how much a stock costs per dollar of earnings. No matter what company’s P/E ratio you’re looking at, you see the price of one dollar worth of their earnings.

What does a high P/E ratio mean?

High P/E ratios are a signal that investors expect higher future earnings. As of June 2019, Netflix had a P/E ratio of over 100, meaning investors are willing to pay $100 for each dollar of profitability.

What is the P/E ratio?

The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) measures how “expensive” a stock is by comparing its stock price to its earnings per share.

How to calculate P/E ratio?

The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) compares the share price of a company to the earnings it generates per share. The formula used to calculate this ratio simply divides the market value per share by the earnings per share (EPS). The typical calculation of the P/E ratio uses a company's EPS from the last four quarters.

Why do analysts come up with their own P/E estimates?

Analysts may come up with their own forward P/E estimates, which could be miscalculated or subject to model risk due to programming or data errors. Rather than relying on just one metric to support your investment analysis, it's prudent to consider several factors.

How to calculate forward P/E?

To calculate a company's forward P/E, divide the current share price by the estimated future earnings per share. Many investors use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate a company's forward P/E and to compare the forward P/E ratios of multiple companies within the same industry

What is earnings guidance?

Earnings guidance is simply management's comments on what they expect the company will do in the future, focusing on earnings estimates for the upcoming quarter or year. Analysts can either use these numbers provided by a company's management or combine them with their own research to develop their own earnings forecasts. ...

Why is forward P/E important?

The forward P/E ratio should be considered more in terms of the optimism of the market for a company's prospective growth. A company with a higher forward P/E ratio than the industry or market average indicates an expectation the company is likely to experience a significant amount of growth. If a company's stock fails to meet the high ratio value with increased per-share earnings, the price of the stock will fall.

What are the limitations of forward P/E?

Limitations of using forward P/E for investment analysis include a company inaccurately estimating expected earnings and model risk caused by programming or data errors.

What is forward P/E?

A variation of the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is the forward P/E ratio, which is based on a prediction of a company's future earnings.

When do analysts review a company's P/E ratio?

Analysts and investors review a company's P/E ratio when they determine if the share price accurately represents the projected earnings per share. The formula and calculation used for this process follow.

What is the most common ratio used to determine whether a stock is expensive, attractive or fair?

4. Valuation: Valuation is another important metric used to know whether the stock is expensive, attractive or fair. Companies are calibrated against each other on the basis of valuation ratio to determine whether they are over/undervalued in the industry. The most popular ratio used is P/E (Price/Earnings). For banks, it is best to use P/B (price-to-book) ratio while capital-intensive companies can compare according to EV/EBITDA.

Why do companies have higher P/E?

Investors usually are willing to pay a higher P/E for companies they believe will be growing faster than the norm even though they do not pay those earnings out in dividends but retain them to fund future growth . If that growth is realized, the price of the company’s stock usually grows faster than the price of a company with a slower growth or even a higher dividend-paying company.”

What is interest coverage ratio?

8. Interest coverage ratio: The interest coverage ratio is used to determine how easily a company can pay their interest expenses on outstanding debt. The ratio is calculated by dividing a company's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by the company's interest expenses for the same period. If it is 1, it means that a company’s earnings can only afford to pay its interest expenses, and can’t afford to pay other expenses.

What are the factors to consider when investing in stocks?

If you can’t understand a company’s business model, it is better to stay away from such companies. A profit-generating unique business model is a very good sign. Additionally, less cyclicality coupled with diversified business base is another good factor to consider while investing in a stock.

What does a high P/E mean?

In general, a high P/E suggests that investors are expecting higher earnings growth in the future compared to companies with a lower P/E. A low P/E can indicate either that a company may currently be undervalued or that the company is doing exceptionally well relative to its past trends. When a company has no earnings or is posting losses, in both cases P/E will be expressed as “N/A.” Though it is possible to calculate a negative P/E, this is not the common convention.

What is the purpose of ROE?

The ROE is useful for comparing the profitability of a company to that of other firms in the same industry. It illustrates who effective the company is at turning the cash put into the business into greater gains and growth for the company and investors. The higher the return on equity, the more efficient the company's operations are making use of those funds.

What is the P/E ratio?

The P/E ratio, or price-to-earnings ratio, is a quick way to see if a stock is undervalued or overvalued — and generally speaking, the lower the P/E ratio is, the better it is for the business and for potential investors. The metric is the stock price of a company divided by its earnings per share.

How to use P/E ratio?

You generally use the P/E ratio by comparing it to other P/E ratios of companies in the same industry or to past P/E ratios of the same company. If you are comparing same-sector companies, the one with the lower P/E may be undervalued. Or if you’re looking at past data for one company, a higher number could mean it’s no longer a bargain.

How to tell if a stock is undervalued?

The P/E ratio, or price-to-earnings ratio , is a quick way to see if a stock is undervalued or overvalued — and generally speaking, the lower the P/E ratio is, the better it is for the business and for potential investors. The metric is the stock price of a company divided by its earnings per share. You shouldn’t compare P/E ratios of different kinds of companies, like a tech company and a consumer staple company. In other words, the metric is only useful when comparing apples to apples. If you want help with using P/E ratios to invest your money, consider working with a financial advisor.

What does a P/E ratio of 15 mean?

For example, a ratio of 15 means that investors are willing to pay $15 for every dollar of company earnings. This is why the P/E ratio is sometimes referred to as the “earnings multiple” or just “multiple.”

Why is a high P/E ratio good?

Another reason: a company with a high ratio could have high growth prospects. Its ratio is high because it just spent a lot of money to grow its business. So it could still be a good buy. In other words, you shouldn’t just zero in on the P/E ratio when you’re deciding whether to buy shares.

Can you compare P/E ratios?

You shouldn’t compare P/E ratios of different kinds of companies, like a tech company and a consumer staple company. In other words, the metric is only useful when comparing apples to apples. If you want help with using P/E ratios to invest your money, consider working with a financial advisor.

What is P/E ratio?

The price/earnings (P/E) ratio , also known as an “earnings multiple,” is one of the most popular valuation measures used by investors and analysts. The basic definition of a P/E ratio is stock price divided by earnings per share (EPS). The ratio construction makes the P/E calculation particularly useful for valuation purposes, but it's tough to use intuitively when evaluating potential returns, especially across different instruments. This is where earnings yield comes in.

How to calculate payout ratio?

The payout ratio could also be calculated by merely dividing the DPS ($2.87) by the EPS ($3.66) for the past year. However, in reality, this calculation requires one to know the actual values for per-share dividends and earnings, which are generally less widely known by investors than the dividend yield and P/E of a specific stock.

How to calculate earnings yield?

In other words, it is the reciprocal of the P/E ratio. Thus, Earnings Yield = EPS / Price = 1 / (P/E Ratio), expressed as a percentage .

Why is stock B 10% yield?

But using Stock B’s 10% earnings yield makes it easier for the investor to compare returns and decide whether the yield differential of 4 percentage points justifies the risk of investing in the stock rather than the bond. Note that even if Stock B only has a 4% dividend yield (more about this later), the investor is more concerned about total potential return than actual return.

What is EPS in stock?

EPS is the bottom-line measure of a company’s profitability and it's basically defined as net income divided by the number of outstanding shares. Earnings yield is defined as EPS divided by the stock price (E/P).

Why is earnings yield important?

The earnings yield makes it easier to compare potential returns between, for example, a stock and a bond. Let’s say an investor with a healthy risk appetite is trying to decide between Stock B and a junk bond with a 6% yield. Comparing Stock B’s P/E of 10 and the junk bond’s 6% yield is akin to comparing apples and oranges.

What is EPS in accounting?

EPS. EPS is the bottom-line measure of a company’s profitability and it's basically defined as net income divided by the number of outstanding shares. Basic EPS uses the number of shares outstanding in the denominator while fully diluted EPS (FDEPS) uses the number of fully diluted shares in the denominator.

How to calculate forward P/E?

In Microsoft Excel, first increase the widths of columns A, B, and C by right-clicking on each of the columns and left-clicking on "Column Width" and change the value to 30.

What Does Forward Price-to-Earnings Reveal?

Analysts like to think of the P/E ratio as a price tag on earnings. It is used to calculate a relative value based on a company's level of earnings. In theory, $1 of earnings at company A is worth the same as $1 of earnings at company B. If this is the case, both companies should also be trading at the same price, but this is rarely the case.

What is trailing P/E?

When calculating the trailing P/E ratio, analysts compare today's price against earnings for the last 12 months or the last fiscal year. However, both are based on historical prices. Analysts use earnings estimates to determine what the relative value of the company will be at a future level of earnings. The forward P/E estimates the relative value of the earnings.

What is forward P/E?

Forward P/E is a version of the ratio of price-to-earnings that uses forecasted earnings for the P/E calculation.

Why combine forward and trailing P/E?

Analysts often combine forward and trailing P/E estimates to make a better judgment.

Why is company B valued more?

It could also mean that company B deserves a premium on the value of its earnings due to superior management and a better business model .

Is forward P/E biased?

Since forward P/E relies on estimated future earnings, it is subject to miscalculation and/or analysts' bias. There are other inherent problems with the forward P/E also. Companies could underestimate earnings to beat the consensus estimate P/E when the next quarter's earnings are announced.

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