Earnings Tell The Story For Skyline Champion Corporation (NYSE:SKY) As Its Stock Soars 28%

Skyline Champion Corporation (NYSE:SKY) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 28% share price jump in the last month. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 40% in the last year.

Following the firm bounce in price, Skyline Champion may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 42.7x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 20x and even P/E's lower than 11x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Skyline Champion's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Skyline Champion

Keen to find out how analysts think Skyline Champion's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

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

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 2.7%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 135% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 26% as estimated by the six analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 18%, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Skyline Champion is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From Skyline Champion's P/E?

Skyline Champion's P/E is flying high just like its stock has during the last month. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Skyline Champion's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Skyline Champion, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Skyline Champion, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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