Despite an already strong run, Angel One Limited (NSE:ANGELONE) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 32% in the last thirty days. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 53% in the last year.
Even after such a large jump in price, Angel One's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 22.1x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in India, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 34x and even P/E's above 65x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.
Recent earnings growth for Angel One has been in line with the market. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this modest earnings performance may begin to slide. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
See our latest analysis for Angel One
Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Angel One will help you uncover what's on the horizon.In order to justify its P/E ratio, Angel One would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 24% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 178% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 11% per year during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 20% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.
With this information, we can see why Angel One is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.
The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift Angel One's P/E close to the market median. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.
As we suspected, our examination of Angel One's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Angel One that you need to be mindful of.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.