When close to half the companies in India have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 34x, you may consider Pennar Industries Limited (NSE:PENIND) as an attractive investment with its 27.1x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.
Pennar Industries certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.
Check out our latest analysis for Pennar Industries
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Pennar Industries.There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Pennar Industries' to be considered reasonable.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 25% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 150% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 24% per year as estimated by the only analyst watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 20% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.
In light of this, it's peculiar that Pennar Industries' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced at all that the company can achieve future growth expectations.
Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
Our examination of Pennar Industries' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. At least price risks look to be very low, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 3 warning signs for Pennar Industries (1 is a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Pennar Industries, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
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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.