Should We Worry About Odfjell Drilling Ltd.'s (OB:ODL) P/E Ratio?

This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Odfjell Drilling Ltd.'s (OB:ODL) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Odfjell Drilling has a price to earnings ratio of 32.24, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying NOK32.24 for every NOK1 in prior year profit.

View our latest analysis for Odfjell Drilling

How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price (in reporting currency) ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Odfjell Drilling:

P/E of 32.24 = $3.32 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, USD ) ÷ $0.10 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each NOK1 of company 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

Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

Odfjell Drilling's earnings per share fell by 42% in the last twelve months. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 21% annually. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio.

Does Odfjell Drilling Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. The image below shows that Odfjell Drilling has a higher P/E than the average (21.2) P/E for companies in the energy services industry.

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Odfjell Drilling shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

Is Debt Impacting Odfjell Drilling's P/E?

Net debt totals a substantial 117% of Odfjell Drilling's market cap. If you want to compare its P/E ratio to other companies, you must keep in mind that these debt levels would usually warrant a relatively low P/E.

The Bottom Line On Odfjell Drilling's P/E Ratio

Odfjell Drilling trades on a P/E ratio of 32.2, which is above the NO market average of 13.8. With significant debt and no EPS growth last year, shareholders are betting on an improvement in earnings from the company.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.' So this freevisual 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 Odfjell Drilling. So you may wish to see this freecollection 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.