Play The Percentages With Rolls-Royce Holding PLC

How reliable are earnings forecasts for Rolls-Royce Holding PLC (LON:RR) — and is the stock attractively priced right now?

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio — share price divided by the consensus of analysts’ forecasts for earnings per share (EPS) — is probably the single most popular valuation measure used by investors.

However, it can pay to look beyond the consensus to the spread between the most bullish and bearish EPS forecasts. The table below shows the effect of different spreads on a company with a consensus P/E of 14 (the long-term FTSE 100 average).

EPS spread Bull extreme P/E Consensus P/E Bear extreme P/E
Narrow 10% (+ and – 5%) 13.3 14.0 14.7
Average 40% (+ and – 20%) 11.7 14.0 17.5
Wide 100% (+ and – 50%) 9.3 14.0 28.0

In the case of the narrow spread, you probably wouldn’t be too unhappy if the bear analyst’s EPS forecast panned out, and you found you’d bought on a P/E of 14.7, rather than the consensus 14. But how about if the bear analyst was on the button in the case of the wide spread? Not so happy, I’d imagine!

Should you invest £1,000 in Diageo right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Diageo made the list?

See the 6 stocks

Rolls-Royce

Today, I’m analysing British aerospace icon Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR), the data for which is summarised in the table below.

Share price 1,040p Forecast EPS +/- consensus P/E
Consensus 68.1p n/a 15.3
Bull extreme 75.3p +11% 13.8
Bear extreme 57.3p -16% 18.2

As you can see, with the most bullish EPS forecast 11% higher than the consensus, and the most bearish 16% lower, the 27% spread is narrower than the 40% spread of the average blue-chip company. It is also a little narrower than Footsie peer BAE Systems.

Rolls-RoyceBig contracts are a feature of Rolls-Royce’s industry. While there’s a certain lumpiness to the winning of such contracts, once they’re in the bag there’s generally good visibility on how the cash will flow from them over their lifetime (many years in some cases).

This core of predictability makes for a tighter range of plausible earnings scenarios than we see for many industries — including some of those where Rolls-Royce’s products end up: International Consolidated Airlines (formed by the merger of British Airways and Spanish flag carrier Iberia), for example, currently has an EPS spread of 60%.

While Rolls-Royce’s spread is comparatively tight, only the bull extreme EPS forecast gives a P/E below — negligibly below — the FTSE 100 long-term average of 14, with the consensus at 15.3 and the bear case giving a reading of 18.2.

Nevertheless, even though Rolls-Royce is on the expensive side, it has been rated more highly than today in the recent past. The shares took a big hit in January when the company said: “In 2014, we expect a pause in our revenue and profit growth”.

Management stressed: “This is a pause, not a change in direction, and growth will resume in 2015”, adding that “our record order book underpins our confidence in the long-term growth of our business”, but the market — which includes, of course, short-sighted traders — didn’t like it.

As such, I think this quality company may currently represent reasonable value for long-term investors, despite the P/E being at a bit of a premium to the wider market.

Should you invest £1,000 in Diageo right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.

And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Diageo made the list?

See the 6 stocks

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

G A Chester does not own any shares mentioned in this article.

Like buying £1 for 51p

This seems ridiculous, but we almost never see shares looking this cheap. Yet this recent ‘Best Buy Now’ has a price/book ratio of 0.51. In plain English, this means that investors effectively get in on a business that holds £1 of assets for every 51p they invest!

Of course, this is the stock market where money is always at risk — these valuations can change and there are no guarantees. But some risks are a LOT more interesting than others, and at The Motley Fool we believe this company is amongst them.

What’s more, it currently boasts a stellar dividend yield of around 8.5%, and right now it’s possible for investors to jump aboard at near-historic lows. Want to get the name for yourself?

See the full investment case

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

Up 30% in weeks, does the BAE Systems share price still offer value?

The BAE Systems share price has been on a tear over the past couple of months. This writer sees limited…

Read more »

Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

Hunting for shares to buy as the market trembles? Remember this!

After a choppy week in global stock markets, our writer goes back to basics in his hunt for bargain shares…

Read more »

Investing Articles

3 simple principles to help build wealth in an ISA

As a new tax year opens up new ISA allowances for many investors, our writer shares a trio of things…

Read more »

Investing Articles

US trade tariffs: what they could mean for UK shares like Ashtead, Compass Group, and Experian

US trade tariffs continue to rock global markets, and the UK is no exception. Our writer considers how a new…

Read more »

Mindful young woman breathing out with closed eyes, calming down in stressful situation, working on computer in modern kitchen.
Dividend Shares

The Trump slump has smashed these FTSE 100 shares!

After a rough week for US and UK shares, investors have been shaken. But now these FTSE 100 stocks have…

Read more »

Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in Rolls-Royce shares 5 years ago is now worth…

Rolls-Royce shares have been on fire since April 2020. Part of this is the result of pandemic restrictions lifting, but…

Read more »

Young Asian woman with head in hands at her desk
Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in Tesla stock at its peak in 2024 is now worth…

Over the last few months, Tesla stock has lost nearly half its value. Here, Edward Sheldon explores a few takeaways…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Is the S&P 500 heading for an epic stock market crash?

Our writer shares his thoughts on a very crazy time for the S&P 500 and the wider stock market. How…

Read more »