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Is CorVel Corporation’s (NASDAQ:CRVL) High P/E Ratio A Problem For Investors?

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 CorVel Corporation’s (NASDAQ:CRVL) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. CorVel has a P/E ratio of 28.74, based on the last twelve months. That means that at current prices, buyers pay $28.74 for every $1 in trailing yearly profits.

View our latest analysis for CorVel

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for CorVel:

P/E of 28.74 = $65.6 ÷ $2.28 (Based on the year to September 2018.)

Is A High P/E Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. 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.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the ‘E’ increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

Notably, CorVel grew EPS by a whopping 35% in the last year. And it has bolstered its earnings per share by 6.1% per year over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.

How Does CorVel’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 (21.4) for companies in the healthcare industry is lower than CorVel’s P/E.

NasdaqGS:CRVL PE PEG Gauge November 27th 18
NasdaqGS:CRVL PE PEG Gauge November 27th 18

CorVel’s P/E tells us that market participants think the company will perform better than its industry peers, going forward. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

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. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

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).

Is Debt Impacting CorVel’s P/E?

The extra options and safety that comes with CorVel’s US$90m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt.

The Bottom Line On CorVel’s P/E Ratio

CorVel’s P/E is 28.7 which is above average (17.9) in the US market. Its strong balance sheet gives the company plenty of resources for extra growth, and it has already proven it can grow. So it does not seem strange that the P/E is above average.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. People often underestimate remarkable growth — so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. We don’t have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

You might be able to find a better buy than CorVel. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

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