Don't Sell Grenke AG (ETR:GLJ) 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 Grenke AG's (ETR:GLJ) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Grenke has a P/E ratio of 33.81. That means that at current prices, buyers pay €33.81 for every €1 in trailing yearly profits.
View our latest analysis for Grenke
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Grenke:
P/E of 33.81 = €94.05 ÷ €2.78 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each €1 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 Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.
Grenke increased earnings per share by an impressive 21% over the last twelve months. And it has bolstered its earnings per share by 21% per year over the last five years. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
Does Grenke Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
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 (16) for companies in the diversified financial industry is lower than Grenke's P/E.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Grenke shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).
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.
Is Debt Impacting Grenke's P/E?
Grenke's net debt is 82% of its market cap. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.
The Verdict On Grenke's P/E Ratio
Grenke has a P/E of 33.8. That's higher than the average in the DE market, which is 19.4. It's good to see the recent earnings growth, although we note the company uses debt already. But if growth falters, the relatively high P/E ratio may prove to be unjustified.
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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Grenke. 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.