Yahoo Finance Here's What Sylogist Ltd.'s (CVE:SYZ) P/E Ratio Is Telling Us
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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 show how you can use Sylogist Ltd.'s (CVE:SYZ) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Sylogist has a P/E ratio of 19.88. That means that at current prices, buyers pay CA$19.88 for every CA$1 in trailing yearly profits.
View our latest analysis for Sylogist
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Sylogist:
P/E of 19.88 = CA$11.35 ÷ CA$0.57 (Based on the year to March 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. 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 Sylogist 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. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (35.4) for companies in the it industry is higher than Sylogist's P/E.
This suggests that market participants think Sylogist will underperform other companies in its industry. Since the market seems unimpressed with Sylogist, it's quite possible it could surprise on the upside. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.
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.
Sylogist increased earnings per share by a whopping 33% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 13% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
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. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on 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.
So What Does Sylogist's Balance Sheet Tell Us?
Sylogist has net cash of CA$33m. This is fairly high at 12% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.
The Verdict On Sylogist's P/E Ratio
Sylogist trades on a P/E ratio of 19.9, which is above its market average of 15. Its net cash position is the cherry on top of its superb EPS growth. So based on this analysis we'd expect Sylogist to have a high P/E ratio.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.
You might be able to find a better buy than Sylogist. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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.
