Risks To Shareholder Returns Are Elevated At These Prices For NOS, S.G.P.S., S.A. (ELI:NOS)

There wouldn't be many who think NOS, S.G.P.S., S.A.'s (ELI:NOS) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 10.6x is worth a mention when the median P/E in Portugal is similar at about 12x. 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.

NOS S.G.P.S could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn around. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for NOS S.G.P.S

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on NOS S.G.P.S.

Does Growth Match The P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, NOS S.G.P.S would need to produce growth that's similar to the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 26%. However, a few very strong years before that means that it was still able to grow EPS by an impressive 89% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the twelve analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 1.4% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 4.7% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's curious that NOS S.G.P.S' P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Key Takeaway

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 NOS S.G.P.S currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for NOS S.G.P.S that you should be aware of.

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.