Ishan International Limited's (NSE:ISHAN) Share Price Not Quite Adding Up

Ishan International Limited's (NSE:ISHAN) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 39.4x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in India, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 26x and even P/E's below 14x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

For example, consider that Ishan International's financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. If not, then existing shareholders may be quite nervous about the viability of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Ishan International

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Ishan International will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Enough Growth For Ishan International?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Ishan International would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 67% decrease to the company's bottom line. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 24% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 26% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we find it concerning that Ishan International is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Ishan International's P/E

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 Ishan International currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Having said that, be aware Ishan International is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those shouldn't be ignored.

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.