Yahoo Finance Don't Sell Genmab A/S (CPH:GMAB) Before You Read This
This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Genmab A/S's (CPH:GMAB) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Based on the last twelve months, Genmab's P/E ratio is 70.11. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying DKK70.11 for every DKK1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Genmab
How Do I Calculate Genmab's Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Genmab:
P/E of 70.11 = DKK1336.50 ÷ DKK19.06 (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 DKK1 of company 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 Genmab's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (32.6) for companies in the biotechs industry is lower than Genmab's P/E.
That means that the market expects Genmab 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
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. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Genmab's earnings per share fell by 6.1% in the last twelve months. But it has grown its earnings per share by 49% per year over the last five years.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
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.
So What Does Genmab's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
The extra options and safety that comes with Genmab's ø7.0b net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt.
The Bottom Line On Genmab's P/E Ratio
With a P/E ratio of 70.1, Genmab is expected to grow earnings very strongly in the years to come. The recent drop in earnings per share might keep value investors away, but the healthy balance sheet means the company retains potential for future growth. If fails to eventuate, the current high P/E could prove to be temporary, as the share price falls.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Genmab. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
