Asian Paints Limited's (NSE:ASIANPAINT) Share Price Not Quite Adding Up

Asian Paints Limited's (NSE:ASIANPAINT) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 55.1x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in India, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 27x and even P/E's below 15x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

We've discovered 1 warning sign about Asian Paints. View them for free.

Asian Paints hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Asian Paints

Keen to find out how analysts think Asian Paints' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Is There Enough Growth For Asian Paints?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Asian Paints' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 22%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 40% in total over the last three years. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 9.9% per annum as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 19% growth per year, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we find it concerning that Asian Paints is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Key Takeaway

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.

Our examination of Asian Paints' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

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

You might be able to find a better investment than Asian Paints. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.