St.Cousair Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:2937) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 22.2x 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. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
St.Cousair hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Check out our latest analysis for St.Cousair
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, St.Cousair would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 16% decrease to the company's bottom line. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 204% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has generally done a very good job of growing earnings over that time, even though it had some hiccups along the way.
Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 30% as estimated by the one analyst watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 11%, which is noticeably less attractive.
With this information, we can see why St.Cousair 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 Bottom Line On St.Cousair's 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 St.Cousair'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.
Having said that, be aware St.Cousair is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.
It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).
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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:2937
St.Cousair
Engages in the manufacture and sale of food products primarily in Japan.
Excellent balance sheet with reasonable growth potential.
