Tuesday, 20 July 2010

PEG Ratio

by John Jagerson

Usually value investors are looking for stocks with low value multiples or ratios. While there are many of these, probably the most popular version is the P/E or Stock Price to Earnings ratio. The drawback to a P/E ratio is that it does not account for growth. A low P/E may seem good but if the company is not growing, its stock's value is also not likely to rise.

The P/E ratio can be enhanced by including growth and turning it into the PEG ratio. A PEG ratio is calculated by dividing the stock's P/E ratio by its expected 12 month growth rate. 

One of the most notable proponents of this analysis was Peter Lynch (of Fidelity Investments fame) who suggested that a fairly valued stock will have a growth rate roughly equal to its P/E ratio. 

That means that a fairly valued stock will have a PEG ratio of 1. A lower PEG ratio may indicate a good value and a PEG ratio much greater than one could indicate that a stock is overvalued.


Peg Ratio 


Fundamentally speaking, the PEG ratio is more than it appears. 
In one ratio you have established that the company has profits, growth expectations and a reasonable stock price relative to its financial performance. These are not always givens in today's stock market. Using some minimal fundamental screening within a well diversified portfolio is a great way to remove some volatility from your own portfolio's equity curve.

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