Do You Like Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANIK) At This P/E Ratio?
This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Anika Therapeutics, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ANIK) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, Anika Therapeutics's P/E ratio is 18.43. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 5.4%.
See our latest analysis for Anika Therapeutics
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Anika Therapeutics:
P/E of 18.43 = USD40.34 ÷ USD2.19 (Based on the year to September 2019.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each USD1 of company 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.
Does Anika Therapeutics Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
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 Anika Therapeutics has a P/E ratio that is fairly close for the average for the biotechs industry, which is 17.3.
Anika Therapeutics's P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. So if Anika Therapeutics actually outperforms its peers going forward, that should be a positive for the share price. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.
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. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.
Anika Therapeutics's 67% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive. Unfortunately, earnings per share are down 2.6% a year, over 5 years.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
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.
Anika Therapeutics's Balance Sheet
With net cash of US$173m, Anika Therapeutics has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 30% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.
The Verdict On Anika Therapeutics's P/E Ratio
Anika Therapeutics has a P/E of 18.4. That's around the same as the average in the US market, which is 18.2. Its net cash position is the cherry on top of its superb EPS growth. So based on this analysis we'd expect Anika Therapeutics to have a higher P/E ratio.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. 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 report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Anika Therapeutics. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
