Divi's Laboratories Limited (NSE:DIVISLAB) Not Flying Under The Radar

Divi's Laboratories Limited's (NSE:DIVISLAB) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 77x 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 29x and even P/E's below 16x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Divi's Laboratories' earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. 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 Divi's Laboratories

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

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 55% 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 24% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 28% each year over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 19% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Divi's Laboratories 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 Final Word

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Divi's Laboratories' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Divi's Laboratories that you need to be mindful of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Divi's Laboratories' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.