Here's How P/E Ratios Can Help Us Understand Metro Holdings Limited (SGX:M01)
This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Metro Holdings Limited's (SGX:M01) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. What is Metro Holdings's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 9.35. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 10.7%.
See our latest analysis for Metro Holdings
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 Metro Holdings:
P/E of 9.35 = SGD0.93 ÷ SGD0.10 (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each SGD1 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 Metro Holdings 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. If you look at the image below, you can see Metro Holdings has a lower P/E than the average (20.9) in the multiline retail industry classification.
Metro Holdings's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Metro Holdings, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.
Metro Holdings's earnings per share fell by 55% in the last twelve months. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 11% annually. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
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.
How Does Metro Holdings's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?
Net debt totals 17% of Metro Holdings's market cap. That's enough debt to impact the P/E ratio a little; so keep it in mind if you're comparing it to companies without debt.
The Bottom Line On Metro Holdings's P/E Ratio
Metro Holdings's P/E is 9.3 which is below average (13.5) in the SG market. The debt levels are not a major concern, but the lack of EPS growth is likely weighing on sentiment.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. 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. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
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.
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.
