In This Article:
This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at Bertrandt Aktiengesellschaft's (ETR:BDT) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. What is Bertrandt's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 10.16. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 9.8%.
View our latest analysis for Bertrandt
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 Bertrandt:
P/E of 10.16 = €45.9 ÷ €4.52 (Based on the year to June 2019.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.
How Does Bertrandt's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. If you look at the image below, you can see Bertrandt has a lower P/E than the average (17.2) in the professional services industry classification.
Bertrandt's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Companies that shrink earnings per share quickly will rapidly decrease the 'E' in the equation. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.
Bertrandt's earnings per share fell by 5.3% in the last twelve months. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 5.3% per year over the last five years. So you wouldn't expect a very high P/E.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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).
Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).
How Does Bertrandt's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Since Bertrandt holds net cash of €45m, it can spend on growth, justifying a higher P/E ratio than otherwise.