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Here's What CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's (FRA:COP) P/E Is Telling Us

This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's (FRA:COP), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Based on the last twelve months, CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's P/E ratio is 36.24. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying €36.24 for every €1 in prior year profit.

View our latest analysis for CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for price to earnings is:

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

Or for CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea:

P/E of 36.24 = €73.25 ÷ €2.02 (Based on the year to March 2019.)

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 Does CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea'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. As you can see below, CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea has a higher P/E than the average company (21.5) in the healthcare services industry.

DB:COP Price Estimation Relative to Market, July 23rd 2019
DB:COP Price Estimation Relative to Market, July 23rd 2019

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea 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 investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's earnings made like a rocket, taking off 181% last year. The cherry on top is that the five year growth rate was an impressive 41% per year. With that kind of growth rate we would generally expect a high P/E ratio.

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. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. 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.

How Does CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea has net debt worth just 8.0% of its market capitalization. It would probably trade on a higher P/E ratio if it had a lot of cash, but I doubt it is having a big impact.

The Bottom Line On CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's P/E Ratio

CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea's P/E is 36.2 which is above average (19.7) in its market. While the company does use modest debt, its recent earnings growth is superb. So to be frank we are not surprised it has a high P/E ratio.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.' 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 CompuGroup Medical Societas Europaea. 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.