Investors Interested In Keystone Realtors Limited's (NSE:RUSTOMJEE) Earnings

Keystone Realtors Limited's (NSE:RUSTOMJEE) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 72.6x 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 31x and even P/E's below 18x 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.

Keystone Realtors certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Keystone Realtors

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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Keystone Realtors would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 28%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 68% drop in EPS in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the sole analyst covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 96% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 24%, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why Keystone Realtors 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 Bottom Line On Keystone Realtors' P/E

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Keystone Realtors maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. 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.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Keystone Realtors that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Keystone Realtors' 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.