Yahoo Finance Why Glacier Bancorp, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GBCI) High P/E Ratio Isn't Necessarily A Bad Thing
The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Glacier Bancorp, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GBCI) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Glacier Bancorp has a P/E ratio of 16.5. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 6.1%.
View our latest analysis for Glacier Bancorp
How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for price to earnings is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Glacier Bancorp:
P/E of 16.5 = $38.98 ÷ $2.36 (Based on the year to June 2019.)
Is A High P/E Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each $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 Glacier Bancorp'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 (12.1) for companies in the banks industry is lower than Glacier Bancorp's P/E.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Glacier Bancorp shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So investors should always consider the P/E ratio alongside other factors, such as whether company directors have been buying shares.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.
Glacier Bancorp increased earnings per share by a whopping 41% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 10% annually, over the last five years. With that performance, I would expect it to have an above average P/E ratio.
Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet
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. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on 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 Glacier Bancorp's P/E?
Glacier Bancorp has net debt worth 22% of its market capitalization. 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 Bottom Line On Glacier Bancorp's P/E Ratio
Glacier Bancorp has a P/E of 16.5. That's around the same as the average in the US market, which is 17. With only modest debt levels, and strong earnings growth, the market seems to doubt that the growth can be maintained.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. 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 Glacier Bancorp. 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.
