Do You Know What Gullewa Limited's (ASX:GUL) P/E Ratio Means?
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The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at Gullewa Limited's (ASX:GUL) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Gullewa has a P/E ratio of 3.11, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying A$3.11 for every A$1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Gullewa
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Gullewa:
P/E of 3.11 = A$0.030 ÷ A$0.0096 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.
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 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.
Gullewa increased earnings per share by a whopping 243% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 51% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.
How Does Gullewa's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. The image below shows that Gullewa has a lower P/E than the average (13.1) P/E for companies in the metals and mining industry.
This suggests that market participants think Gullewa will underperform other companies in its industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Gullewa, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.
Is Debt Impacting Gullewa's P/E?
Gullewa has net cash of AU$1.5m. That should lead to a higher P/E than if it did have debt, because its strong balance sheets gives it more options.
The Bottom Line On Gullewa's P/E Ratio
Gullewa has a P/E of 3.1. That's below the average in the AU market, which is 16.3. It grew its EPS nicely over the last year, and the healthy balance sheet implies there is more potential for growth. The relatively low P/E ratio implies the market is pessimistic.
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. Although we don't have analyst forecasts, you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Gullewa. 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.
