Yahoo Finance Should We Worry About B2Gold Corp.'s (TSE:BTO) P/E Ratio?
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Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We'll show how you can use B2Gold Corp.'s (TSE:BTO) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, B2Gold has a P/E ratio of 93.14. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 1.1%.
Check out our latest analysis for B2Gold
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price (in reporting currency) ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for B2Gold:
P/E of 93.14 = $2.73 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, USD ) ÷ $0.029 (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 necessarily good or bad, but a high P/E implies relatively high expectations of what a company can achieve in the future.
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. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.
B2Gold shrunk earnings per share by 50% over the last year. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 23% per year over the last five years. This growth rate might warrant a below average P/E ratio.
How Does B2Gold's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (13.4) for companies in the metals and mining industry is a lot lower than B2Gold's P/E.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that B2Gold shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.
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 B2Gold's P/E?
Net debt totals 14% of B2Gold's market cap. That's enough debt to impact the P/E ratio a little; so keep it in mind if you're comparing it to companies without debt.
The Bottom Line On B2Gold's P/E Ratio
With a P/E ratio of 93.1, B2Gold is expected to grow earnings very strongly in the years to come. With modest debt but no EPS growth in the last year, it's fair to say the P/E implies some optimism about future earnings, from the market.
When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. 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.
But note: B2Gold 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.