Despite an already strong run, Sinarmas Land Limited (SGX:A26) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 27% in the last thirty days. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 68%.
Even after such a large jump in price, Sinarmas Land may still be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 5.2x, since almost half of all companies in Singapore have P/E ratios greater than 12x and even P/E's higher than 22x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.
For example, consider that Sinarmas Land's financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
See our latest analysis for Sinarmas Land
Although there are no analyst estimates available for Sinarmas Land, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Sinarmas Land's to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 23% decrease to the company's bottom line. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 34% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.
Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 7.2% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.
In light of this, it's peculiar that Sinarmas Land's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.
Shares in Sinarmas Land are going to need a lot more upward momentum to get the company's P/E out of its slump. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.
Our examination of Sinarmas Land revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current market expectations. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching this positive performance. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.
You need to take note of risks, for example - Sinarmas Land has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.
It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).
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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.