Dividend Investing: Is PE Ratio The Most Important Metric?

In the world of dividend growth investing, PE ratio is a very important metric. Managing a stock portfolio with over 30 positions can be complex. When deploying new capital, it's sometimes unclear which stock presents the best current value. PE ratio (price divided by earnings for the trailing 12 months) is a favorite metric for finding value in dividend stocks. With the goal of early financial freedom, I'm all about buying stocks that are "on sale" providing the best value.

Today's video, a response to a subscriber question, discusses the price earnings ratio from a variety of perspectives. In particular, I cover:
What is a PE ratio (the price earnings ratio)?
What is the difference between a backward-looking (trailing 12 months) PE ratio and a forward-looking PE ratio? Why do I personally prefer the trailing 12 months (backward-looking) PE?
How do PE ratios vary by sector?
How do PE ratios vary by market (bull market vs. bear market)?
What are acceptable ranges of PE ratios by sector for my personal portfolio? (Where is the "buy zone" by sector?)
Sectors covered include: utilities, consumer non-cyclical, industrials, healthcare, restaurants, financial, energy, technology, and retail.
Learn why PE ratio does not apply to real estate investment trusts (REITs).

In my dividend growth stock portfolio, I analyze PE ratio perhaps more than any other metric. Thanks for the great question, and please keep them coming! Subscriber questions fuel the content of this channel.

Disclosure: I am long Starbucks (SBUX).

Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed investment advisor, and today's video is just for entertainment and fun. This video is NOT investment advice. Please talk to your licensed investment advisor before making any financial decisions.

All content on my YouTube channel is (c) Copyright IJL Productions LLC.