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 Mineral Resources Limited's (ASX:MIN) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Mineral Resources has a P/E ratio of 17.58. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying A$17.58 for every A$1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Mineral Resources
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 Mineral Resources:
P/E of 17.58 = A$15.31 ÷ A$0.87 (Based on the year to June 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each A$1 the company has earned over the last year. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E.
Does Mineral Resources Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (13.0) for companies in the metals and mining industry is lower than Mineral Resources's P/E.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Mineral Resources 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.
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. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Mineral Resources's earnings per share fell by 40% in the last twelve months. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 6.8% annually. This could justify a pessimistic P/E.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
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. 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).