SRG Housing Finance Limited's (NSE:SRGHFL) Shares Lagging The Market But So Is The Business

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 19.3x SRG Housing Finance Limited (NSE:SRGHFL) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios greater than 31x and even P/E's higher than 58x 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 limited.

With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, SRG Housing Finance has been doing very well. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

View our latest analysis for SRG Housing Finance

We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on SRG Housing Finance's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Any Growth For SRG Housing Finance?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like SRG Housing Finance's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 34% gain to the company's bottom line. EPS has also lifted 14% in aggregate from three years ago, mostly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 26% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

In light of this, it's understandable that SRG Housing Finance's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

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.

As we suspected, our examination of SRG Housing Finance revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for SRG Housing Finance you should be aware of, and 2 of them make us uncomfortable.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on SRG Housing Finance, 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.