GLOSSARY

P/E ratio

Valuation & Price

IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Share price divided by earnings per share — what you pay for £1 of a year's profit.

WHERE YOU MEET IT

P/E (TTM) in a holding's Valuation section.

WATCH OUT FOR

Only compare P/Es between similar businesses. It says nothing about debt or quality.

FULL DEFINITION

Price-to-Earnings Trailing Twelve Months. It uses the last 12 months of actual earnings to calculate the ratio.

EXAMPLE

Price is $50, last year's earnings were $5. P/E (TTM) = 10.

HOW IT'S CALCULATED

P/E (TTM) = share price ÷ earnings per share over the trailing twelve months. Supplied by the market data provider. It is undefined or meaningless for companies with negative earnings.

EXPLAINED IN

What a P/E ratio does and doesn't tell you

Educational content only. It is not personal financial advice.