Yamami Company (TSE:2820) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 26% share price jump in the last month. The last month tops off a massive increase of 161% in the last year.
Since its price has surged higher, given around half the companies in Japan have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 13x, you may consider Yamami as a stock to potentially avoid with its 19.4x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.
Yamami certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Yamami
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Yamami would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 84% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 189% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13% each year as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 9.5% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.
With this information, we can see why Yamami 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.
What We Can Learn From Yamami's P/E?
The large bounce in Yamami's shares has lifted the company's P/E to a fairly high level. 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.
As we suspected, our examination of Yamami's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Yamami with six simple checks on some of these key factors.
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.
About TSE:2820
Solid track record with excellent balance sheet.