Sentiment Still Eluding Century Textiles and Industries Limited (NSE:CENTURYTEX)

Century Textiles and Industries Limited's (NSE:CENTURYTEX) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.5x might 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 16x and even P/E's above 39x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at Century Textiles and Industries over the last year, which is not ideal at all. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company won't do enough to avoid underperforming the broader market in the near future. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Century Textiles and Industries

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Century Textiles and Industries, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Century Textiles and Industries' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 27%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 47% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. 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.

It's interesting to note that the rest of the market is similarly expected to grow by 12% over the next year, which is fairly even with the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Century Textiles and Industries' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can maintain recent growth rates.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Century Textiles and Industries currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is in line with the wider market forecast. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the company's performance. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Century Textiles and Industries that you should be aware of.

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 P/E ratio below 20x).

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