With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 47.2x Meiho Holdings,Inc. (TSE:7369) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Japan have P/E ratios under 13x and even P/E's lower than 9x 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.
With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Meiho HoldingsInc has been doing very well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings growth will be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Meiho HoldingsInc
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Meiho HoldingsInc's to be considered reasonable.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 407% last year. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 74% drop in EPS in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 10% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.
With this information, we find it concerning that Meiho HoldingsInc is trading at a P/E higher than the market. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.
The Bottom Line On Meiho HoldingsInc's P/E
Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.
We've established that Meiho HoldingsInc currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as this earnings performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.
And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Meiho HoldingsInc (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about.
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Meiho HoldingsInc, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
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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.