Don't Sell Ganga Forging Limited (NSE:GANGAFORGE) Before You Read This
The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at Ganga Forging Limited's (NSE:GANGAFORGE) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Ganga Forging has a P/E ratio of 26.32. That means that at current prices, buyers pay ₹26.32 for every ₹1 in trailing yearly profits.
View our latest analysis for Ganga Forging
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Ganga Forging:
P/E of 26.32 = ₹18.75 ÷ ₹0.71 (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing 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.
How Does Ganga Forging's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. The image below shows that Ganga Forging has a higher P/E than the average (8.9) P/E for companies in the metals and mining industry.
That means that the market expects Ganga Forging will outperform other companies in its industry. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers.
Ganga Forging shrunk earnings per share by 38% over the last year.
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. 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).
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.
Is Debt Impacting Ganga Forging's P/E?
Ganga Forging's net debt is 86% of its market cap. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.
The Verdict On Ganga Forging's P/E Ratio
Ganga Forging's P/E is 26.3 which is above average (13.9) in its market. With significant debt and no EPS growth last year, shareholders are betting on an improvement in earnings from the company.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. Although we don't have analyst forecasts shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Ganga Forging. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
