Do You Know What PACCAR Inc's (NASDAQ:PCAR) P/E Ratio Means?
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 PACCAR Inc's (NASDAQ:PCAR) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, PACCAR has a P/E ratio of 9.56. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying $9.56 for every $1 in prior year profit.
View our latest analysis for PACCAR
How Do You Calculate PACCAR's P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for PACCAR:
P/E of 9.56 = $65.04 ÷ $6.81 (Based on the year to June 2019.)
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 Does PACCAR'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. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (19.1) for companies in the machinery industry is higher than PACCAR's P/E.
PACCAR's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. 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
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.
It's great to see that PACCAR grew EPS by 16% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 14%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. 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 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.
PACCAR's Balance Sheet
PACCAR's net debt equates to 29% of its market capitalization. You'd want to be aware of this fact, but it doesn't bother us.
The Verdict On PACCAR's P/E Ratio
PACCAR has a P/E of 9.6. That's below the average in the US market, which is 17.4. The company does have a little debt, and EPS growth was good last year. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than PACCAR. 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.
