Yahoo Finance Here's What J & J Snack Foods Corp.'s (NASDAQ:JJSF) P/E Is Telling Us
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 J & J Snack Foods Corp.'s (NASDAQ:JJSF) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, J & J Snack Foods has a P/E ratio of 39.25. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying $39.25 for every $1 in prior year profit.
View our latest analysis for J & J Snack Foods
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for J & J Snack Foods:
P/E of 39.25 = $192.61 ÷ $4.91 (Based on the trailing twelve months 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. 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.
Does J & J Snack Foods 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. As you can see below, J & J Snack Foods has a higher P/E than the average company (24.7) in the food industry.
That means that the market expects J & J Snack Foods will outperform other companies in its industry. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
J & J Snack Foods's earnings per share fell by 12% in the last twelve months. But it has grown its earnings per share by 5.6% per year over the last five years.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.
Is Debt Impacting J & J Snack Foods's P/E?
Since J & J Snack Foods holds net cash of US$197m, it can spend on growth, justifying a higher P/E ratio than otherwise.
The Bottom Line On J & J Snack Foods's P/E Ratio
J & J Snack Foods's P/E is 39.3 which is above average (17.2) in its market. The recent drop in earnings per share might keep value investors away, but the relatively strong balance sheet will allow the company time to invest in growth. Clearly, the high P/E indicates shareholders think it will!
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 visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E 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.
