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How Does Rockwell Automation's (NYSE:ROK) P/E Compare To Its Industry, After Its Big Share Price Gain?

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 33% in the last month alone, although it is still down 16% over the last quarter. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down 11% in the last year.

Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

See our latest analysis for Rockwell Automation

How Does Rockwell Automation's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Rockwell Automation's P/E of 21.34 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. The image below shows that Rockwell Automation has a higher P/E than the average (15.4) P/E for companies in the electrical industry.

NYSE:ROK Price Estimation Relative to Market April 20th 2020
NYSE:ROK Price Estimation Relative to Market April 20th 2020

Rockwell Automation's P/E tells us that market participants think the company will perform better than its industry peers, going forward. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and 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. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

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Most would be impressed by Rockwell Automation earnings growth of 15% in the last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 5.2%. So one might expect an above average P/E ratio.

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. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

So What Does Rockwell Automation's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Rockwell Automation's net debt is 6.9% of its market cap. It would probably trade on a higher P/E ratio if it had a lot of cash, but I doubt it is having a big impact.

The Bottom Line On Rockwell Automation's P/E Ratio

Rockwell Automation has a P/E of 21.3. That's higher than the average in its market, which is 13.6. While the company does use modest debt, its recent earnings growth is very good. Therefore, it's not particularly surprising that it has a above average P/E ratio. What we know for sure is that investors have become much more excited about Rockwell Automation recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 16.1 to 21.3 over the last month. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is 'blood in the streets', then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. 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.

But note: Rockwell Automation 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).

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.

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. Thank you for reading.