Market Participants Recognise S.J.S. Enterprises Limited's (NSE:SJS) Earnings Pushing Shares 26% Higher

S.J.S. Enterprises Limited (NSE:SJS) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 26% gain in the last month alone. While recent buyers may be laughing, long-term holders might not be as pleased since the recent gain only brings the stock back to where it started a year ago.

Following the firm bounce in price, S.J.S. Enterprises may be sending bearish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.6x, since almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 20x and even P/E's lower than 10x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

Recent times haven't been advantageous for S.J.S. Enterprises as its earnings have been rising slower than most other companies. It might be that many expect the uninspiring earnings performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for S.J.S. Enterprises

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on S.J.S. Enterprises 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 S.J.S. Enterprises' 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 15% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 46% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 42% as estimated by the sole analyst watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 21% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why S.J.S. Enterprises is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On S.J.S. Enterprises' P/E

S.J.S. Enterprises' 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.

As we suspected, our examination of S.J.S. Enterprises' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for S.J.S. Enterprises you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than S.J.S. Enterprises. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.