Eureka Forbes Limited's (NSE:EUREKAFORB) Price In Tune With Earnings

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 73.2x Eureka Forbes Limited (NSE:EUREKAFORB) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 26x and even P/E's lower than 15x 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.

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With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Eureka Forbes has been doing relatively well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Eureka Forbes' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 41% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 883% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 37% during the coming year according to the five analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 24% growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Eureka Forbes' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Eureka Forbes maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Eureka Forbes with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Eureka Forbes, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.