Yahoo Finance Don't Sell Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) Before You Read This
This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Ameren Corporation's (NYSE:AEE) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Based on the last twelve months, Ameren's P/E ratio is 23.15. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 4.3%.
Check out our latest analysis for Ameren
How Do You Calculate Ameren's P/E Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Ameren:
P/E of 23.15 = $75.18 ÷ $3.25 (Based on the year to June 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.
Does Ameren 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, Ameren has a higher P/E than the average company (21.3) in the integrated utilities industry.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Ameren shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.
Notably, Ameren grew EPS by a whopping 28% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 5.6%. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.
Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).
So What Does Ameren's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Net debt totals 52% of Ameren's market cap. This is a reasonably significant level of debt -- all else being equal you'd expect a much lower P/E than if it had net cash.
The Verdict On Ameren's P/E Ratio
Ameren's P/E is 23.1 which is above average (17.8) in its market. While the meaningful level of debt does limit its options, it has achieved solid growth over the last year. But if growth falters, the relatively high P/E ratio may prove to be unjustified.
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 free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Ameren. 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.
