Yahoo Finance Do You Like Pearson plc (LON:PSON) At This P/E Ratio?
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The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Pearson plc's (LON:PSON) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Pearson has a price to earnings ratio of 10.57, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying £10.57 for every £1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Pearson
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Pearson:
P/E of 10.57 = £7.99 ÷ £0.76 (Based on the year to December 2018.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing 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.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Pearson's earnings made like a rocket, taking off 51% last year. The cherry on top is that the five year growth rate was an impressive 16% per year. So I'd be surprised if the P/E ratio was not above average.
How Does Pearson's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. The image below shows that Pearson has a lower P/E than the average (23.7) P/E for companies in the media industry.
This suggests that market participants think Pearson will underperform other companies in its industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Pearson, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. 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 Pearson's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Net debt totals just 3.4% of Pearson's market cap. 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 Pearson's P/E Ratio
Pearson trades on a P/E ratio of 10.6, which is below the GB market average of 16.2. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. If it continues to grow, then the current low P/E may prove to be unjustified.
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.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.
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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.
