Yahoo Finance Why RPC, Inc.’s (NYSE:RES) High P/E Ratio Isn’t Necessarily A Bad Thing
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The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We’ll look at RPC, Inc.’s (NYSE:RES) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company’s share price. Based on the last twelve months, RPC’s P/E ratio is 13.05. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 7.7%.
Check out our latest analysis for RPC
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for RPC:
P/E of 13.05 = $10.64 ÷ $0.82 (Based on the year to December 2018.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. 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
Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. 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.
RPC saw earnings per share improve by -8.9% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 3 years is 104%. In contrast, EPS has decreased by 4.6%, annually, over 5 years.
How Does RPC’s P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (13.3) for companies in the energy services industry is roughly the same as RPC’s P/E.
RPC’s P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Checking factors such as the tenure of the board and management could help you form your own view on if that will happen.
A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank
It’s important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. That means it doesn’t take debt or cash into account. 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 RPC’s P/E?
RPC has net cash of US$116m. That should lead to a higher P/E than if it did have debt, because its strong balance sheets gives it more options.
The Verdict On RPC’s P/E Ratio
RPC’s P/E is 13.1 which is below average (17.4) in the US market. EPS was up modestly better over the last twelve months. And the healthy balance sheet means the company can sustain growth while the P/E suggests shareholders don’t think it will.
Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. 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 visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold.
You might be able to find a better buy than RPC. 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.
