After Leaping 28% Silvercorp Metals Inc. (TSE:SVM) Shares Are Not Flying Under The Radar

Silvercorp Metals Inc. (TSE:SVM) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 28% after a shaky period beforehand. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 14% in the last twelve months.

Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in Canada have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 13x, you may consider Silvercorp Metals as a stock to potentially avoid with its 17.6x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

Recent times have been pleasing for Silvercorp Metals as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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How Is Silvercorp Metals' Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Silvercorp Metals' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 27% last year. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year EPS frustratingly shrank by 28% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 64% during the coming year according to the four analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 23% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Silvercorp Metals is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From Silvercorp Metals' P/E?

Silvercorp Metals' P/E is getting right up there since its shares have risen strongly. 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.

We've established that Silvercorp Metals maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Silvercorp Metals with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If you're unsure about the strength of Silvercorp Metals' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.