A beginner’s guide to financial ratios

1. Market Capitalization – This is a measure of a company’s size which is calculated by the current share price of a company multiplied by the number of shares issued by the company. Smaller companies tend to be riskier than larger companies, and their shares are generally less liquid. A market capitalization greater than A$100M is usually a “safer” selection.
2. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E ratio) – this is the calculated by the stock price divided by the forecast earnings per share. When different companies in the same industry are compared, the company with the lower P/E generally indicates the better value. However, a company with a higher P/E, while being more expensive, could be more expensive for a reason such as having a better growth profile.
3. Return on Equity (ROE) – This represents the returns the Company generates on shareholders’ funds. ROE is calculated by dividing the net profit by the sum of shareholders’ ordinary equity, and this is expressed as a percentage. ROE above 15% will indicate a good value stock.
4. Earnings Per Share (EPS) – This is calculated by the dividing the net annual earnings of a company by the number of shares issued. It is an indicator of the profitability of a company relative to its issued capital and is a key measure used in the valuation of a Company.
5. Net debt to equity ratio – This ratio measures the financial health of a company which is calculated by dividing debt on the balance sheet (net of cash) by total equity. A high net debt to equity ratio (i.e. above 60) may denote poor financial health, but high debt levels may be serviceable by the Company’s ability to generate consistent and increasing cash flows. Long-term debt should be within the range of 3 to 4 times the net profit of the company to be in a good debt position.
6. Dividend Yield – This ratio shows much how much income a stock pays in comparison to its stock price. It is calculated by the forecasted annual dividend divided by the current stock price. Usually, only profitable companies pay out dividends, so a company which has consistently paid out dividends can be viewed as safer investments.

There is more to stock selection than a few good ratios – just as there is more to stock selection than a good looking chart.

Written by Michael Gable and contributed by Fairmont Equities:  (VIEW LINK)