Here's How P/E Ratios Can Help Us Understand Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBAI)
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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 Lakeland Bancorp, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:LBAI) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Lakeland Bancorp has a price to earnings ratio of 11.31, based on the last twelve months. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 8.8%.
Check out our latest analysis for Lakeland Bancorp
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Lakeland Bancorp:
P/E of 11.31 = $14.93 ÷ $1.32 (Based on the year to December 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
Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers.
It's great to see that Lakeland Bancorp grew EPS by 20% in the last year. And earnings per share have improved by 12% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
How Does Lakeland Bancorp's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. If you look at the image below, you can see Lakeland Bancorp has a lower P/E than the average (12.9) in the banks industry classification.
Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Lakeland Bancorp shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. 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 taking on debt (or spending its remaining cash).
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 Lakeland Bancorp's P/E?
Lakeland Bancorp has net debt worth 41% of its market capitalization. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you should absolutely keep in mind it has significant borrowings.
The Bottom Line On Lakeland Bancorp's P/E Ratio
Lakeland Bancorp trades on a P/E ratio of 11.3, which is below the US market average of 17.7. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.
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.
