Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For Amines & Plasticizers Limited (NSE:AMNPLST)

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 41.3x Amines & Plasticizers Limited (NSE:AMNPLST) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 31x and even P/E's lower than 18x 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 as high as it is.

With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Amines & Plasticizers has been doing very well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings growth will be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Amines & Plasticizers

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 Amines & Plasticizers' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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 Amines & Plasticizers' is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 35% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 33% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

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.

In light of this, it's alarming that Amines & Plasticizers' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. 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 Amines & Plasticizers' P/E

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.

We've established that Amines & Plasticizers 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.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Amines & Plasticizers has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Amines & Plasticizers. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.