Yahoo Finance Read This Before You Buy Interface, Inc. (NASDAQ:TILE) Because Of Its P/E Ratio
The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at Interface, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TILE) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Interface has a P/E ratio of 21.61, based on the last twelve months. That means that at current prices, buyers pay $21.61 for every $1 in trailing yearly profits.
See our latest analysis for Interface
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Interface:
P/E of 21.61 = $15.33 ÷ $0.71 (Based on the year to March 2019.)
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. 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 Interface's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (22.9) for companies in the commercial services industry is roughly the same as Interface's P/E.
Its P/E ratio suggests that Interface 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. Checking factors such as director buying and selling. could help you form your own view on if that will happen.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.
Interface shrunk earnings per share by 28% over the last year. And EPS is down 14% a year, over the last 3 years. This might lead to low expectations.
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. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
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 Interface's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Net debt totals 63% of Interface's 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 Interface's P/E Ratio
Interface trades on a P/E ratio of 21.6, which is above its market average of 17.9. With significant debt and no EPS growth last year, shareholders are betting on an improvement in earnings from the company.
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 visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.
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.
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.
