Some Shareholders Feeling Restless Over Syngene International Limited's (NSE:SYNGENE) P/E Ratio

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 53.8x Syngene International Limited (NSE:SYNGENE) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 25x and even P/E's lower than 14x 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.

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Syngene International 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Syngene International

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

How Is Syngene International's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Syngene International's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 3.1%. 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 8.8% 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.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 13% each year during the coming three years according to the eight analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 20% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's alarming that Syngene International's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. 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 Bottom Line On Syngene International's P/E

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.

We've established that Syngene International currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. 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. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Syngene International with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

You might be able to find a better investment than Syngene International. 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.