Some Shareholders Feeling Restless Over Salcef Group S.p.A.'s (BIT:SCF) P/E Ratio

Salcef Group S.p.A.'s (BIT:SCF) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 20.7x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in Italy, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 18x and even P/E's below 11x 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 lofty.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, Salcef Group has been doing relatively well. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Salcef Group

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How Is Salcef Group's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Salcef Group would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 216%. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year EPS frustratingly shrank by 99% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 0.1% per year as estimated by the four analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 13% each year, which paints a poor picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Salcef Group is trading at a P/E higher than the market. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining earnings are likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Salcef Group's 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.

Our examination of Salcef Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings 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 are highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

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

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

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.

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