What does it mean if a stock has a negative PE ratio?

Asked by: Mr. Sage Wuckert II  |  Last update: April 4, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (39 votes)

A negative P/E ratio means that the company reported either no earnings per share (EPS) or negative EPS. A negative P/E ratio suggests the company is currently unprofitable, as it has more expenses than revenue. It often means the company made no money over the last 12 months.

Is a negative PE ratio good?

Companies with a negative P/E ratio might struggle to attract investment as investors typically seek out profitable companies. A negative P/E ratio might indicate a lack of confidence in the company's future prospects or management.

Should you buy stocks with low PE ratio?

P/E ratio, or price-to-earnings ratio, is a quick way to see if a stock is undervalued or overvalued. And so generally speaking, the lower the P/E ratio is, the better it is for both the business and potential investors.

What does a PE ratio of 0 mean?

Additionally, companies may have negative or no earnings, leaving you with either a “0” P/E ratio or a negative one, which is not useful for comparison purposes. Another downside of P/E ratios is that you cannot use them to compare companies from different sectors.

Is a negative price to book ratio good?

A negative P/B ratio should be a red flag for investors. It suggests possible financial instability in a company. This can arise from persistent losses, where the company's liabilities surpass its assets, or excessive debt, where the company owes more than it owns.

Warren Buffett & Charlie Munger - PE ratios of Growth Companies

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What is a good PE ratio?

Lower P/E Ratios can sometimes be a sign that a stock is undervalued relative to its earnings. A better way to tell if a stock has a good P/E Ratio is to compare it against industry averages and growth expectations. Average P/E Ratios generally range from 20 to 25.

What if book value of equity is negative?

A negative book value means that a company's liabilities are greater than its assets. This indicates a company is possibly insolvent.

Is 30 a bad PE ratio?

Now, here's the thing: If stocks' average EPS growth is rising over time, the stock market's P/E ratio needs to settle at a higher level, as well, to fairly price in the higher profit growth. That's why today's P/E ratio of around 30 isn't as alarming as it would have been in the past.

What is the PE ratio of Apple?

Apple (AAPL) PE Ratio (TTM) : 38.55 (As of Jan. 14, 2025)

What is the PE ratio of Tesla?

According to Tesla's latest financial reports and stock price the company's current price-to-earnings ratio (TTM) is 118.273. At the end of 2022 the company had a P/E ratio of 30.6.

Is 7 a good PE ratio?

A good PE (Price to Earnings) ratio in India usually falls between 12 and 20, indicating that a company's stock is neither overvalued nor undervalued. This range balances risk and growth potential, making it ideal for Indian stock market investment.

What is a good annual dividend yield?

The average dividend yield of some of the top dividend stocks is 12.69%. The best dividend stocks are shares of well-established companies that increase their payouts over time. Investors can also choose to reinvest dividends if they don't need the stream of income. Here's more about dividends and how they work.

What is a good beta for a stock?

A beta coefficient of less than 1 means that a stock tends to be less volatile than the overall market. Utility and real estate stocks are two examples of industries that typically have low betas. A beta coefficient of more than 1 means that a stock tends to be more volatile than the overall market.

How to know if a stock is overvalued?

This ratio is used to assess the current market price against the company's book value (total assets minus liabilities, divided by number of shares issued). To calculate it, divide the market price per share by the book value per share. A stock could be overvalued if the P/B ratio is higher than 1.

What if earnings per share is negative?

A negative EPS is a sign that a company is spending more than its revenue and losing money. What does it mean if EPS decreases? A decreasing EPS can indicate a decline in the company's profits. It may also be a sign that the company will be less likely to pay dividends to shareholders in the future.

What is an excellent PE ratio?

Although the average standard P/E ratio is around 20 to 25. Anything below that would be considered a good price-to-earnings ratio, Some world famous invester consider below 15 is good PE Ratio to invest in the stock.

What is the PE ratio of Costco?

The mean historical PE ratio of Costco Wholesale over the last ten years is 35.42. The current 54.17 P/E ratio is 53% higher than the historical average. Looking back at the last ten years, COST's PE ratio peaked in the Nov 2024 quarter at 56.47, with a price of $964.01 and an EPS of $17.07.

What is Amazon's PE ratio?

The PE ratio for Amazon Com stock stands at 45.9 as of Jan 10, 2025. This is calculated based on the TTM EPS of $4.77 and the stock price of $218.94 per share.

What if the PE ratio is negative?

A negative P/E ratio means that the company reported either no earnings per share (EPS) or negative EPS. A negative P/E ratio suggests the company is currently unprofitable, as it has more expenses than revenue. It often means the company made no money over the last 12 months.

Is Nvidia overvalued?

Fair Value Estimate for Nvidia

With its 2-star rating, we believe Nvidia's stock is overvalued compared to our long-term fair value estimate of $105 per share, which implies an equity value of roughly $2.5 trillion.

What is the PE ratio of Google?

Google (GOOGL) PE Ratio (TTM) : 25.47 (As of Jan. 12, 2025)

Is it OK to have negative equity?

Negative equity for assets is common in the housing and automobile sector. A house or car is normally financed through some sort of debt (such as a bank loan or mortgage). The price of a house can decline due to fluctuating real estate prices, and the price of a car can fall due to rapid use (depreciation).

What is a good book value of a stock?

What is a Good Price to Book Value Ratio? Value investors often prefer values lower than 1.0, which suggests that an undervalued stock may have been found. The benchmark for certain value investors, however, may frequently be equities with a less strict P/B value of less than 3.0.

What is a good debt-to-equity ratio?

Generally, a good debt ratio for a business is around 1 to 1.5. However, the debt-to-equity ratio can vary significantly based on the business's growth stage and industry sector. For example, newer and expanding companies often utilise debt to drive growth.