With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 59.6x Aarti Industries Limited (NSE:AARTIIND) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 27x and even P/E's lower than 15x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
Aarti Industries could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Aarti Industries
How Is Aarti Industries' Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Aarti Industries would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 51% decrease to the company's bottom line. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 82% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 51% per annum during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 19% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.
With this information, we can see why Aarti Industries 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 Bottom Line On Aarti Industries' P/E
It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
As we suspected, our examination of Aarti Industries' 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.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Aarti Industries (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.
Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.
Discover if Aarti Industries might be undervalued or overvalued with our detailed analysis, featuring fair value estimates, potential risks, dividends, insider trades, and its financial condition.
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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.