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Despite Its High P/E Ratio, Is Port of Tauranga Limited (NZSE:POT) Still Undervalued?

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This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to Port of Tauranga Limited's (NZSE:POT), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Based on the last twelve months, Port of Tauranga's P/E ratio is 42.82. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 2.3%.

View our latest analysis for Port of Tauranga

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

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Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Port of Tauranga:

P/E of 42.82 = NZ$6.14 ÷ NZ$0.14 (Based on the year to December 2018.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each NZ$1 of company earnings. 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 Does Port of Tauranga's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. As you can see below, Port of Tauranga has a higher P/E than the average company (24.2) in the infrastructure industry.

NZSE:POT Price Estimation Relative to Market, July 17th 2019
NZSE:POT Price Estimation Relative to Market, July 17th 2019

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Port of Tauranga shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

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. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

Port of Tauranga saw earnings per share improve by -8.2% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 4.5%.

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. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).

While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

So What Does Port of Tauranga's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Port of Tauranga's net debt is 11% of its market cap. This could bring some additional risk, and reduce the number of investment options for management; worth remembering if you compare its P/E to businesses without debt.

The Verdict On Port of Tauranga's P/E Ratio

Port of Tauranga has a P/E of 42.8. That's higher than the average in its market, which is 17.9. Given the debt is only modest, and earnings are already moving in the right direction, it's not surprising that the market expects continued improvement.

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 report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

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.