P/E Ratio (Price to Earnings Ratio)

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What is the P/E Ratio?

The Price to Earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is a valuation ratio of a company's current share price compared to its per-share earnings. Discounted Cash Flow is a superior method to value a company. However sometimes investors prefer to use simpler methods.

Calculation of P/E Ratio. Formula

The P/E ratio is used for measuring market performance and can be calculated as:

P/E ratio calculation: Market Value per Share : Earnings Per Share normally for a twelve month period.

Often the P/E ratio is used, because it is so easy to grasp: If you buy stock at a P/E ratio of 10, say, this means it will take 10 years for the company's earnings to add up to your original investment - 10 years before you are paid back.

Example of Price to Earnings Ratio calculation

Take for example a company that earned $10M last year, and had given out 1 million shares in total. Earnings per share are $10. If that company's shares currently sell for $100 per share, it has a P/E ratio of 10. Stated differently, at this price, investors are willing to pay $10 for every $1 of last year's earnings.
 

Limitations of the P/E Ratio

The Price to Earnings ratio assumes that the corporation will be worth some multiple of its future earnings. This method has at least two drawbacks:

1. It is based on reported earnings, "accounting profits", which are not a good indicator of actual value creation for shareholders.
2. What multiplier should be used? The industry average? Often corrections are made based on: the expected growth of the company, the rate of return on new capital and the costs of capital (WACC)

Book: Steven M. Bragg - Business Ratios and Formulas : A Comprehensive Guide

Book: Ciaran Walsh - Key Management Ratios

Forum Start a new topic about the P/E Ratio Write here. Ask a question or explain something. Current forum discussions about the P/E Ratio: Why Using Average P/E Ratio is More Realistic During favorable economic times (boom), company earnings are at record levels. As a result, the high stock prices and seemingly low P/E ratio's appear acceptable. But investors are advised to use av... 11   High PE Ratio Means What? A Good Stock? What is the meaning if Company A has been trading at a higher PE ratio than company B? Does it mean we should buy this stock or not? Can anyone explain? Thanks...... 8   1 comments What is the meaning of X in PE Ratio? Sometimes PE Ratio is given as 12.9x... What does "x" mean?... 5   1 comments What is the Beta of a Stock? Before we're investing in a stock, we not only consider the P/E Ratio, but also the Beta of that particular stock. Beta is the measurement of how volatile the stock is when compared to the index. In... 5   1 comments Conflict of Interest of Management Buy Out If management is allowed to buy out the companies they work for, would it not be a conflict of interest in that the management can deliberately kill the P/E ratio before their acquisition?... 4

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Expert Tips Advanced insights about the P/E Ratio. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips What are the Indicators of High Quality of Earnings? Analyzing Reported Earnings The term quality of earnings usually refers to the degree of conservatism in a firm’s reported earnings. Indicators of h... What is the Degree of Management Discretion or Manipulation? Analyzing Reported Earnings The discretionary nature of income recognition permits an examination of the degree of management manipulation of earnin...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding the P/E Ratio. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Financial Statement Analysis | Ratio Analysis Ratio Analysis, Finanical Statement Analysis This presentation provides insights in Financial statement and ratio analysis, and includes the following sectios: 1. F... How to Value Bonds and Stocks Bonds, Stock, Valuation of Bonds and Stocks The presentation expounds the valuation of bonds and stocks. It covers the following topics: 1. Definition and Example ... Business Valuation | Company Valuation | Firm Valuation Business Analysis, Company Analysis | Firm Analysis This presentation elaborates on the valuation and analysis of companies and include the following sections: 1. Company ... 3 Minute Introduction to Financial Ratio Analysis: Why do it and What are the Main Types? Types of Financial Ratios, Financial Ratio Analysis, Financial Ratio Types Why financial ratio analysis? 1. To compare the financial health of (similar) companies (which one is doin...

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Compare with the P/E Ratio: PEG Ratio  |  Market Value Added  |  EBIT  |  EBITDA  |  Economic Margin  |  Return on Equity  |  TSR  |  PRVit

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