This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we’ll show how D4t4 Solutions Plc’s (LON:D4T4) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. What is D4t4 Solutions’s P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 12.93. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 7.7%.
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View our latest analysis for D4t4 Solutions
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for D4t4 Solutions:
P/E of 12.93 = £2.55 ÷ £0.20 (Based on the year to September 2018.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. 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
Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. When earnings grow, the ‘E’ increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others — and that may attract buyers.
In the last year, D4t4 Solutions grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 338% gain was both fast and well deserved. The sweetener is that the annual five year growth rate of 45% is also impressive. So I’d be surprised if the P/E ratio was not above average.
Does D4t4 Solutions Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. The image below shows that D4t4 Solutions has a lower P/E than the average (27.5) P/E for companies in the it industry.
D4t4 Solutions’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 D4t4 Solutions, it’s quite possible it could surprise on the upside. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.
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. So it won’t reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
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.
D4t4 Solutions’s Balance Sheet
D4t4 Solutions has net cash of UK£12m. This is fairly high at 12% 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 Bottom Line On D4t4 Solutions’s P/E Ratio
D4t4 Solutions’s P/E is 12.9 which is below average (16.2) in the GB market. Not only should the net cash position reduce risk, but the recent growth has been impressive. One might conclude that the market is a bit pessimistic, given the low P/E ratio.
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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than D4t4 Solutions. 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.