What Does NetScout Systems Inc’s (NASDAQ:NTCT) PE Ratio Tell You?
The content of this article will benefit those of you who are starting to educate yourself about investing in the stock market and want to learn about the link between company’s fundamentals and stock market performance.
NetScout Systems Inc (NASDAQ:NTCT) trades with a trailing P/E of 45.7, which is higher than the industry average of 34.2. Though this might seem to be a negative, you might change your mind after I explain the assumptions behind the P/E ratio. In this article, I will explain what the P/E ratio is as well as what you should look out for when using it.
View our latest analysis for NetScout Systems
Breaking down the Price-Earnings ratio
A common ratio used for relative valuation is the P/E ratio. By comparing a stock’s price per share to its earnings per share, we are able to see how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
P/E Calculation for NTCT
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
NTCT Price-Earnings Ratio = $22.42 ÷ $0.490 = 45.7x
On its own, the P/E ratio doesn’t tell you much; however, it becomes extremely useful when you compare it with other similar companies. We want to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar characteristics as NTCT, such as size and country of operation. One way of gathering a peer group is to use firms in the same industry, which is what I’ll do. At 45.7, NTCT’s P/E is higher than its industry peers (34.2). This implies that investors are overvaluing each dollar of NTCT’s earnings. This multiple is a median of profitable companies of 24 Communications companies in US including Ciena, Network-1 Technologies and B.O.S Better Online Solutions. You could also say that the market is suggesting that NTCT is a stronger business than the average comparable company.
Assumptions to watch out for
However, you should be aware that this analysis makes certain assumptions. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to NTCT. If not, the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. Take, for example, the scenario where NetScout Systems Inc is growing profits more quickly than the average comparable company. In that case, the market may be correct to value it on a higher P/E ratio. We should also be aware that the stocks we are comparing to NTCT may not be fairly valued. Just because it is trading on a higher P/E ratio than its peers does not mean it must be overvalued. After all, the peer group could be undervalued.
What this means for you:
Since you may have already conducted your due diligence on NTCT, the overvaluation of the stock may mean it is a good time to reduce your current holdings. But at the end of the day, keep in mind that relative valuation relies heavily on critical assumptions I’ve outlined above. Remember that basing your investment decision off one metric alone is certainly not sufficient. There are many things I have not taken into account in this article and the PE ratio is very one-dimensional. If you have not done so already, I highly recommend you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for NTCT’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for NTCT’s outlook.
Past Track Record: Has NTCT been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of NTCT’s historicals for more clarity.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
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.
