Should We Worry About Jabil Inc.'s (NYSE:JBL) P/E Ratio?

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 Jabil Inc.'s (NYSE:JBL) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Jabil has a price to earnings ratio of 26.45, based on the last twelve months. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 3.8%.

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Check out our latest analysis for Jabil

How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

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

Or for Jabil:

P/E of 26.45 = $28.52 ÷ $1.08 (Based on the year to February 2019.)

Is A High P/E Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each $1 the company has earned over the last year. 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

When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.

In the last year, Jabil grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 58% gain was both fast and well deserved. Unfortunately, earnings per share are down 18% a year, over 3 years.

How Does Jabil'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 (20.2) for companies in the electronic industry is lower than Jabil's P/E.

That means that the market expects Jabil will outperform other companies in its industry. 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.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. 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 spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

How Does Jabil's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Jabil's net debt equates to 44% of its market capitalization. While it's worth keeping this in mind, it isn't a worry.

The Verdict On Jabil's P/E Ratio

Jabil has a P/E of 26.5. That's higher than the average in the US market, which is 17.9. While the company does use modest debt, its recent earnings growth is superb. So to be frank we are not surprised it has a high P/E ratio.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. 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.

But note: Jabil 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.