With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 29.4x Coromandel International Limited (NSE:COROMANDEL) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 25x and even P/E's lower than 14x 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 as high as it is.
With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Coromandel International has been doing relatively well. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
View our latest analysis for Coromandel International
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Coromandel International would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 76%. As a result, it also grew EPS by 25% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing earnings over that time.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the seven analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 12% each year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 20% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.
In light of this, it's alarming that Coromandel International'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.
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 Coromandel International'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. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.
Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Coromandel International that you should be aware 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.
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