Some Confidence Is Lacking In Fine Organic Industries Limited's (NSE:FINEORG) P/E

Fine Organic Industries Limited's (NSE:FINEORG) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 36x might make it look like a 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. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early.

Fine Organic Industries hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Fine Organic Industries

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Fine Organic Industries will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Is There Enough Growth For Fine Organic Industries?

Fine Organic Industries' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 2.6%. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year EPS growth is still a noteworthy 8.1% in total. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would be roughly satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 11% per annum as estimated by the nine analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 19% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it concerning that Fine Organic Industries is trading at a P/E higher than the market. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Final Word

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 Fine Organic Industries' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Fine Organic Industries with six simple checks.

You might be able to find a better investment than Fine Organic Industries. 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).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.