Do You Like Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) At This P/E Ratio?
Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We'll look at Marcus & Millichap, Inc.'s (NYSE:MMI) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Marcus & Millichap has a price to earnings ratio of 17.78, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying $17.78 for every $1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Marcus & Millichap
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 Marcus & Millichap:
P/E of 17.78 = $37.28 ÷ $2.10 (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 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 Marcus & Millichap's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. The image below shows that Marcus & Millichap has a lower P/E than the average (25.3) P/E for companies in the real estate industry.
Marcus & Millichap's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
It's great to see that Marcus & Millichap grew EPS by 18% in the last year. And it has bolstered its earnings per share by 25% per year over the last five years. This could arguably justify a relatively high P/E ratio.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. 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.
So What Does Marcus & Millichap's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Marcus & Millichap has net cash of US$344m. This is fairly high at 24% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.
The Verdict On Marcus & Millichap's P/E Ratio
Marcus & Millichap has a P/E of 17.8. That's around the same as the average in the US market, which is 18.7. The balance sheet is healthy, and recent EPS growth impressive, but the P/E implies some caution from the market.
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 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 Marcus & Millichap. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
