What You Can Learn From Detection Technology Oyj's (HEL:DETEC) P/E

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 34.5x Detection Technology Oyj (HEL:DETEC) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Finland have P/E ratios under 18x and even P/E's lower than 12x 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 so lofty.

Detection Technology Oyj certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. 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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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Detection Technology Oyj's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 84%. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year EPS growth being relatively non-existent overall. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 27% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 15% per year, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Detection Technology Oyj 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.

The Final Word

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 Detection Technology Oyj 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.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Detection Technology Oyj has 1 warning sign we think 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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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.