Price Earning ratio

Question

Define the term Price Earning ratio and how it is calculated?

Answer 1

Price Earning ratio:

Price earnings ratio commonly known as P/E ratio helps in the assessment of the company’s current share price in relation to its earnings.

It is calculated as:-

We can say MPS÷EPS of the stock of the company.

The P/E ratio can be calculated for the past year as well as for the future years. In both the situations the market price remains as the current stock price of the company. Earnings shall vary w.r.t the year – actual earnings or the projected earnings as the case may be.

Example: if the company is trading at 60$ and the earnings of the last 12 months were 2$ then per share then the P/E ratio is 30.

Interpretation:

• The ratio reflects the price being paid by the market for each rupee of reported EPS. The ratio shall measure the expectations of the market and the investors. It shall depict the performance of the firm in the industry.

• Shares which have high growth rate shall have high P/E ratio since investors are ready to pay more for them. But if the risk factor in the share increases the market price of the share gets affected adversely and so is the P/E ratio of the firm.

• From the investment point of view of the investor the ratio shall help in deciding whether:-

-To purchase the shares of the firm or
-To refrain from purchasing the shares.