What e-Xim IT S.A.'s (WSE:EXM) 27% Share Price Gain Is Not Telling You

e-Xim IT S.A. (WSE:EXM) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 27% gain in the last month alone. The last month tops off a massive increase of 186% in the last year.

After such a large jump in price, e-Xim IT's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 50.2x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Poland, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 11x and even P/E's below 7x 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.

e-Xim IT has been doing a decent job lately as it's been growing earnings at a reasonable pace. It might be that many expect the reasonable 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.

See our latest analysis for e-Xim IT

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 e-Xim IT's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

e-Xim IT's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 6.8%. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with EPS shrinking 47% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 16% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.

In light of this, it's alarming that e-Xim IT's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

What We Can Learn From e-Xim IT's P/E?

The strong share price surge has got e-Xim IT's P/E rushing to great heights as well. Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that e-Xim IT currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see earnings heading backwards and underperforming the market forecasts, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Plus, you should also learn about these 5 warning signs we've spotted with e-Xim IT (including 3 which make us uncomfortable).

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.