Is AMETEK Inc’s (NYSE:AME) PE Ratio A Signal To Sell For Investors?
This article is intended for those of you who are at the beginning of your investing journey and want to start learning about core concepts of fundamental analysis on practical examples from today’s market.
AMETEK Inc (NYSE:AME) is currently trading at a trailing P/E of 24.3, which is higher than the industry average of 18.8. Though this might seem to be a negative, you might change your mind after I explain the assumptions behind the P/E ratio. In this article, I will break down what the P/E ratio is, how to interpret it and what to watch out for.
View our latest analysis for AMETEK
Breaking down the Price-Earnings ratio
The P/E ratio is a popular ratio used in relative valuation since earnings power is a key driver of investment value. By comparing a stock’s price per share to its earnings per share, we are able to see how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
P/E Calculation for AME
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
AME Price-Earnings Ratio = $80.69 ÷ $3.324 = 24.3x
On its own, the P/E ratio doesn’t tell you much; however, it becomes extremely useful when you compare it with other similar companies. We want to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar characteristics as AME, such as size and country of operation. A quick method of creating a peer group is to use companies in the same industry, which is what I will do. AME’s P/E of 24.3 is higher than its industry peers (18.8), which implies that each dollar of AME’s earnings is being overvalued by investors. This multiple is a median of profitable companies of 24 Electrical companies in US including Vivint Solar, Highpower International and Asia Pacific Wire & Cable. You could also say that the market is suggesting that AME is a stronger business than the average comparable company.
Assumptions to be aware of
Before you jump to conclusions it is important to realise that there are assumptions in this analysis. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to AME. If not, the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. For example, AMETEK Inc could be growing more quickly than the companies we’re comparing it with. In that case it would deserve a higher P/E ratio. We should also be aware that the stocks we are comparing to AME may not be fairly valued. So while we can reasonably surmise that it is optimistically valued relative to a peer group, it might be fairly valued, if the peer group is undervalued.
What this means for you:
You may have already conducted fundamental analysis on the stock as a shareholder, so its current overvaluation could signal a potential selling opportunity to reduce your exposure to AME. Now that you understand the ins and outs of the PE metric, you should know to bear in mind its limitations before you make an investment decision. Remember that basing your investment decision off one metric alone is certainly not sufficient. There are many things I have not taken into account in this article and the PE ratio is very one-dimensional. If you have not done so already, I urge you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for AME’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for AME’s outlook.
Past Track Record: Has AME been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of AME’s historicals for more clarity.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
