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What Does Admiral Group plc's (LON:ADM) P/E Ratio Tell You?

Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to Admiral Group plc's (LON:ADM), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Admiral Group has a P/E ratio of 15.32. That means that at current prices, buyers pay £15.32 for every £1 in trailing yearly profits.

See our latest analysis for Admiral Group

How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Admiral Group:

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P/E of 15.32 = £21.21 ÷ £1.38 (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each £1 of company earnings. That isn't necessarily good or bad, but a high P/E implies relatively high expectations of what a company can achieve in the future.

Does Admiral Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. As you can see below Admiral Group has a P/E ratio that is fairly close for the average for the insurance industry, which is 15.2.

LSE:ADM Price Estimation Relative to Market, October 2nd 2019
LSE:ADM Price Estimation Relative to Market, October 2nd 2019

Its P/E ratio suggests that Admiral Group shareholders think that in the future it will perform about the same as other companies in its industry classification. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. I would further inform my view by checking insider buying and selling., among other things.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

Most would be impressed by Admiral Group earnings growth of 14% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 5.2%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

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. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

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.

Admiral Group's Balance Sheet

With net cash of UK£2.8b, Admiral Group has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 50% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.

The Bottom Line On Admiral Group's P/E Ratio

Admiral Group trades on a P/E ratio of 15.3, which is fairly close to the GB market average of 16.1. The balance sheet is healthy, and recent EPS growth impressive, but the P/E implies some caution from the market.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.

You might be able to find a better buy than Admiral Group. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.