Shimano Inc.'s (TSE:7309) Price In Tune With Earnings

Shimano Inc.'s (TSE:7309) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 43.9x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Japan, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 13x and even P/E's below 9x 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.

Shimano 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. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

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How Is Shimano's Growth Trending?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 50% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 36% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eleven analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 21% each year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 9.4% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why Shimano is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Shimano'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 Shimano 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. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Shimano that we have uncovered.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.