Forward P/E

The P/E ratio using analysts’ forecasts of next year’s profit instead of last year’s.

How it’s calculated

Share price ÷ forecast earnings per share for the coming year.

How to read it

When the forward P/E is well below the trailing P/E, analysts expect profits to grow; when it is above, they expect profits to fall.

It rests on forecasts, which can be wrong.

How StockDecks scores it

Lower scores better. On the general benchmark, 12 counts as strong, 20 as typical and 50 as weak.

It is one of the measures behind the Valuation rating. Every measure, benchmark and weighting is set out on the methodology page.

Real examples

Across the 97 companies StockDecks has a page for with this figure available, as of 24 October 2026, the middle value is 17.72×.

Lowest

3i Group Ord 3.8× · General Motors 5.13× · Ford Motor 6.05×

Highest

Spirax 2017.6× · Tesco 1563.61× · Schroders 1417.23×

Figures from Yahoo Finance, captured 24 October 2026. Being high or low on one measure says little on its own — each company page shows how this measure sits alongside the others.