Yahoo Finance Despite Its High P/E Ratio, Is Cargojet Inc. (TSE:CJT) Still Undervalued?
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This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll look at Cargojet Inc.'s (TSE:CJT) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company's share price. Cargojet has a price to earnings ratio of 70.27, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying CA$70.27 for every CA$1 in prior year profit.
Check out our latest analysis for Cargojet
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Cargojet:
P/E of 70.27 = CA$82.16 ÷ CA$1.17 (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each CA$1 of company earnings. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Cargojet shrunk earnings per share by 42% over the last year. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 34%.
Does Cargojet Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. As you can see below, Cargojet has a much higher P/E than the average company (18.2) in the logistics industry.
That means that the market expects Cargojet will outperform other companies in its industry. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
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 Cargojet's P/E?
Net debt totals 58% of Cargojet's market cap. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.
The Bottom Line On Cargojet's P/E Ratio
With a P/E ratio of 70.3, Cargojet is expected to grow earnings very strongly in the years to come. With meaningful debt and a lack of recent earnings growth, the market has high expectations that the business will earn more in the future.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
But note: Cargojet may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).
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.
