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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 Games Workshop Group PLC’s (LON:GAW) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Games Workshop Group has a P/E ratio of 16.7, based on the last twelve months. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 6.0%.
Check out our latest analysis for Games Workshop Group
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Games Workshop Group:
P/E of 16.7 = £31.7 ÷ £1.9 (Based on the year to December 2018.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each £1 the company has earned over the last year. All else being equal, it’s better to pay a low price — but as Warren Buffett said, ‘It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.’
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. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
It’s great to see that Games Workshop Group grew EPS by 20% in the last year. And earnings per share have improved by 44% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.
How Does Games Workshop Group’s P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. As you can see below Games Workshop Group has a P/E ratio that is fairly close for the average for the leisure industry, which is 16.9.
Games Workshop Group’s P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Checking factors such as the tenure of the board and management could help you form your own view on if that will happen.
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. 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).
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 Games Workshop Group’s P/E?
The extra options and safety that comes with Games Workshop Group’s UK£25m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt.
The Verdict On Games Workshop Group’s P/E Ratio
Games Workshop Group trades on a P/E ratio of 16.7, which is fairly close to the GB market average of 15.9. 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 better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold they key to an excellent investment decision.
You might be able to find a better buy than Games Workshop Group. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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. On rare occasion, data errors may occur. Thank you for reading.