Market Participants Recognise Dadelo S.A.'s (WSE:DAD) Earnings

When close to half the companies in Poland have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 10x, you may consider Dadelo S.A. (WSE:DAD) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 25.2x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Dadelo as its earnings have been rising very briskly. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Dadelo

We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Dadelo's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Dadelo's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 116%. However, the latest three year period hasn't been as great in aggregate as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Weighing the recent medium-term upward earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for contraction of 3.2% shows it's a great look while it lasts.

With this information, we can see why Dadelo is trading at a high P/E compared to the market. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the bourse. However, its current earnings trajectory will be very difficult to maintain against the headwinds other companies are facing at the moment.

The Final Word

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Dadelo maintains its high P/E on the strength of its recentthree-year growth beating forecasts for a struggling market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident earnings aren't under threat. Our only concern is whether its earnings trajectory can keep outperforming under these tough market conditions. Otherwise, it's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future if its earnings performance persists.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Dadelo (1 is a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x.

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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.