Earnings Not Telling The Story For Englewood Lab, Inc. (KOSDAQ:950140) After Shares Rise 26%

Despite an already strong run, Englewood Lab, Inc. (KOSDAQ:950140) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 26% in the last thirty days. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 26% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Englewood Lab's P/E ratio of 10x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in Korea is also close to 11x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

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As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at Englewood Lab over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing earnings performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

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Does Growth Match The P/E?

Englewood Lab's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 5.9%. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 31% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. 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.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 21% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

In light of this, it's curious that Englewood Lab's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Englewood Lab's P/E?

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Englewood Lab's P/E is also back up to the market median. 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.

We've established that Englewood Lab currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Englewood Lab with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Englewood Lab. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.