After Leaping 37% Riso Kyoiku Co., Ltd. (TSE:4714) Shares Are Not Flying Under The Radar

Riso Kyoiku Co., Ltd. (TSE:4714) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 37% gain and recovering from prior weakness. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 7.1% in the last twelve months.

Following the firm bounce in price, Riso Kyoiku's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.5x 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 14x and even P/E's below 9x are quite common. 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 superior to most other companies of late, Riso Kyoiku has been doing relatively well. 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 Riso Kyoiku

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

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Riso Kyoiku 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 worthy increase of 14%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 191% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 19% during the coming year according to the two analysts following the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 11%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Riso Kyoiku 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 Final Word

Shares in Riso Kyoiku have built up some good momentum lately, which has really inflated its P/E. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Riso Kyoiku's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. 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.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Riso Kyoiku (1 is potentially serious!) that you need to take into consideration.

If you're unsure about the strength of Riso Kyoiku's 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.