There's Reason For Concern Over Friedrich Vorwerk Group SE's (ETR:VH2) Massive 28% Price Jump

Despite an already strong run, Friedrich Vorwerk Group SE (ETR:VH2) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 28% in the last thirty days. The annual gain comes to 247% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

After such a large jump in price, Friedrich Vorwerk Group may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 31x, since almost half of all companies in Germany have P/E ratios under 18x and even P/E's lower than 11x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

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Recent times have been advantageous for Friedrich Vorwerk Group as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Friedrich Vorwerk Group

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Is There Enough Growth For Friedrich Vorwerk Group?

Friedrich Vorwerk Group's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 230% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 114% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 12% per annum as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 17% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's alarming that Friedrich Vorwerk Group'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.

The Final Word

Shares in Friedrich Vorwerk Group 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.

We've established that Friedrich Vorwerk Group 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.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Friedrich Vorwerk Group with six simple checks.

You might be able to find a better investment than Friedrich Vorwerk Group. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.