BIPROGY Inc. (TSE:8056) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 30% gain and recovering from prior weakness. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 41%.
After such a large jump in price, BIPROGY may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 19.7x, since almost half of all companies in Japan have P/E ratios under 12x and even P/E's lower than 9x 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 lofty.
BIPROGY's earnings growth of late has been pretty similar to most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this modest earnings performance will accelerate. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for BIPROGY
In order to justify its P/E ratio, BIPROGY would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow earnings per share by a handy 8.6% last year. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see EPS up by 35% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 6.0% per year during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 9.8% per year growth forecast for the broader market.
In light of this, it's alarming that BIPROGY's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.
Shares in BIPROGY have built up some good momentum lately, which has really inflated its P/E. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.
Our examination of BIPROGY's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.
You always need to take note of risks, for example - BIPROGY has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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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.