Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of April 27, 2021

Article Excerpt

Now is a particularly good time to avoid formulaic responses to investment questions and dilemmas. For example, some investors look at P/E ratios as a great guide to investment value. P/E ratios (the ratio of a stock’s price to its per-share earnings) are widely available online and in various publications. The P/E is a key part of many investors’ decision making. Typically, you calculate P/E using a stock’s current price as the “P,” and its earnings for the previous 12 months as the “E.” One general rule is that the lower a stock’s P/E, the better. A low P/E implies more profit for every dollar you invest. Many investors think a P/E of less than, say, 10, represents excellent value. Sometimes they’re right. But successful investors treat the P/E as just one of many tools, and a starting point rather than a deciding factor. This is the approach we use to evaluate stocks. Here are 3 risks of relying too heavily on P/E ratios. Any…