Digiwin Software Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:300378) Stock Rockets 26% As Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected

Digiwin Software Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:300378) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 26% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Longer-term shareholders would be thankful for the recovery in the share price since it's now virtually flat for the year after the recent bounce.

Following the firm bounce in price, Digiwin SoftwareLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 38.1x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 30x and even P/E's below 18x are quite common. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for Digiwin SoftwareLtd as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Digiwin SoftwareLtd

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Digiwin SoftwareLtd will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

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

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 50%. As a result, it also grew EPS by 9.3% 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 five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 30% over the next year. With the market predicted to deliver 41% growth , the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we find it concerning that Digiwin SoftwareLtd is trading at a P/E higher than the market. 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.

The Bottom Line On Digiwin SoftwareLtd's P/E

Digiwin SoftwareLtd's P/E is getting right up there since its shares have risen strongly. 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.

We've established that Digiwin SoftwareLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. 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. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Having said that, be aware Digiwin SoftwareLtd is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.

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.