Investors Appear Satisfied With Sygnis SA's (WSE:MOE) Prospects As Shares Rocket 25%
Sygnis SA (WSE:MOE) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 25% share price jump in the last month. But the gains over the last month weren't enough to make shareholders whole, as the share price is still down 7.8% in the last twelve months.
Following the firm bounce in price, given close to half the companies in Poland have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 12x, you may consider Sygnis as a stock to avoid entirely with its 73.1x 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.
Sygnis certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing earnings at a really rapid pace. 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. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Sygnis
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 Sygnis' earnings, revenue and cash flow.How Is Sygnis' Growth Trending?
Sygnis' 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 terrific increase of 328%. Still, EPS has barely risen at all from three years ago in total, which is not ideal. 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 3.3% shows it's a great look while it lasts.
With this information, we can see why Sygnis 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
Sygnis' P/E is flying high just like its stock has during the last month. 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.
We've established that Sygnis maintains its high P/E on the strength of its recentthree-year growth beating forecasts for a struggling market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. 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.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 4 warning signs for Sygnis (2 are a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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 P/E ratio 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.
About WSE:SYG
Sygnis
Manufactures and sells photo composers in Poland and internationally.
Moderate and slightly overvalued.