Unit Rate Definition, Examples, Formula, Calculating & Unit Price

The firm with more debt will likely have a lower P/E value than the one with less debt. However, if the business is solid, the one with more debt could have higher earnings because of the risks it has taken. A P/E ratio, even one calculated using a forward earnings estimate, doesn’t always tell you whether the P/E is appropriate for the company’s expected growth rate.

What Are the 5 Categories of Ratio Analysis?

When rates are expressed as a quantity of 1, such as 2 feet per second (that is, per 1 second) or 5 miles per hour (that is, per 1 hour), they can be defined as unit rates. You can write any rate as a unit rate by reducing the fraction so it has a 1 as the denominator or second term. As a unit rate example, you can show that the unit rate of 120 students for every 3 buses is 40 students per bus. If you’re trying to save money on your grocery bill, you might be wondering if there’s an easy way to compare prices across different units. All stores will post unit pricing on each product—but not all of them make it easy to read. You have to look at units and see how much they are charging per unit before making any purchasing decisions.

It helps to determine whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued. A company’s P/E can also be benchmarked against other stocks in the same industry or against the broader market, such as the S&P 500 Index. For another example, suppose you paid 120 dollars for a car you rented for 3 days.

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P/E ratios rely on accurately presenting the market value of shares and earnings per share estimates. The market determines the prices of shares available in many places. However, the source of earnings information is the company itself. Thus, it’s possible it could be manipulated, so analysts and investors have to trust the company’s officers to provide genuine information. The stock will be considered riskier and less valuable if that trust is broken.

The P/E ratio of the S&P 500 going back to 1927 has had a low of roughly 6 in mid-1949 and been as high as 122 in mid-2009, right after the financial crisis. David is comprehensively experienced in many facets of financial and legal research and publishing. As an Investopedia fact checker since 2020, he has validated over 1,100 articles on a wide range of financial and investment topics. Gordon Scott has been an active investor and technical analyst or 20+ years.

1. Therefore, the unit price of 10 dollars for 5 pencils is 2 dollars per pencil.
2. The P/E ratio can also standardize the value of $1 of earnings throughout the stock market.
3. Therefore, the unit rate of 200 dollars per 8 bags is 25 dollars per bag or 25 dollars/bag.
4. The lessons below will typically cover two days of instruction.
5. In the metric system it tells you how many kilometers the car will travel in an hour, if it were to maintain that speed for an hour.
6. It measures how well a company generates profit using shareholder equity or the money that’s been invested in it.

A rate is a comparison or ratio that defines how many of one you have compared to another. A unit rate distinguishes the quantity of the first type of item compared to a single unit of the second type of item. In the Imperial measurement system, it tells you how many miles the car will travel in one hour. In the metric system it tells you how many kilometers the car will travel in an hour, if it were to maintain that speed for an hour. Every time you go shopping whether it be online or in a store you can use your knowledge of unit rates to determine the best deal. In this case you look on the pricing shelf a unit price is often displayed this indicates the cost of one unit of the item you are buying.

Additional Measurements and Time

You could also solve this problem by first finding the unit rate and multiplying it by 12. Therefore, the unit rate for 50 kilometers per 4 gallons is 12.5 kilometers per gallon or 12.5 km/gal. Therefore, the unit rate of $800 for 40 hours is $20 per hour. Therefore, the unit rate for 71 miles per 2 gallons is 35.5 miles per gallon. A P/E ratio of N/A means the ratio is unavailable for that company’s stock. A company can have a P/E ratio of N/A if it’s newly listed on the stock exchange and has not yet reported earnings, such as with an initial public offering.

1. This means the car travels 40 miles for every hour of driving.
2. Often called the price or earnings multiple, the P/E ratio helps assess the relative value of a company’s stock.
3. The higher the ratio, the more profit each dollar in assets produces.
4. Analysts and investors review a company’s P/E ratio to determine if the share price accurately represents the projected earnings per share.
5. For example, suppose eggs are on sale for $.72 per dozen.
6. A high P/E ratio could signal that a stock’s price is high relative to earnings and is overvalued.

Looking for more free math lessons and activities for elementary school students? Finding the cost of one unit enables you to find the cost of any number of units. However, it is important to remember the units when interpreting the new ratio. Company information is available from many sources including news and financial publications and websites. It’s important to take a variety of financial data and other factors into account when researching a possible investment. Let’s now look at two energy companies to see their relative values.

The last alternative to consider is the enterprise value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio. It assesses a company’s valuation relative to its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The EV/EBITDA ratio is helpful because it accounts for the company’s debt and cash levels, providing a more holistic view of its valuation compared to the P/E ratio. Investors often use the EV/EBITDA ratio to evaluate companies in capital-intensive industries such as telecommunications or utilities. A main limitation of using P/E ratios is for comparing the P/E ratios of companies from varied a unit price is a ratio that compares sectors.

Using a variety of ratios to analyze financial information from various companies that interest you can help you make smart investment decisions. Ratio analysis is a highly valuable tool investors can use to compare the financial performance of companies. It can provide insight into their relative financial health and future prospects and yield data about profitability, liquidity, earnings, and extended viability.