FAQ

• What is the PE ratio?

  The Price to Earnings ratio (PE ratio) for a stock tells us how expensive or cheap a company’s share price is relative to its earnings.

  In its most simple definition, the price to earnings ratio is the price an investor needs to pay (invest) to receive Rs. 1 of the company’s earnings.

  So if a company is trading at a P/E of 25, it means that investors are willing to pay Rs. 25 in price for Rs. 1 for current earnings. This means that investors are valuing the stock at 25x its current earnings, and they expect earnings to grow in the future.

  The Price to Earnings ratio changes depending on how bullish or bearish investors and analysts are about a company. A strongly positive sentiment about a stock pushes the stock price up, and therefore the P/E moves higher (investors have to pay more money for an equivalent Rs. 1 of earnings) while a bearish sentiment pushes P/E lower (investors have to pay less for an equivalent Rs 1 of earnings).

• What is the PE buy/sell zone?

  The PE buy/sell zone is calculated based on how many days a stock has traded at its current PE level.

  To do this, we compare the current PE to the stock’s historical PE performance, to find out how often (for how many days in the past) the stock has traded at its current PE value.

  If the stock has usually traded above its current PE level (it’s at a higher PE for the majority of trading days), then the stock is cheaper than usual and in the PE buy zone.

  If the stock has usually traded below its current PE level (it’s at a lower PE for the majority of trading days), then the stock is more expensive than usual and in the PE sell zone.

• How is the PE buy sell zone useful?

  The PE buy sell zone tells you if a stock’s current PE level is unusually high or low, and if a stock doesn’t typically trade at that level. It helps investors identify stocks that are undervalued or overvalued in terms of their typical PE trading behavior.

  Investors should keep in mind that the buy zone/sell zone is not a foolproof buy or sell signal. For example, the PE of a stock may have fallen substantially due to adverse events or negative news. Or the PE may have risen sharply after the company has won new orders, made an acquisition, announced a buyback, or some other positive event. PE Buy/Sell Zone signals should be looked at in conjunction with other information.

• Why are the number of days different for standalone and consolidated data?

  This can be because of any of the 2 following reasons:
  1. Days when PE is negative are not considered in the analysis. So if only 1 of the standalone or consolidate PE is negative and the other is not, then the days will be different
  

  2. Companies have reported consolidated data for limited period.