Globe Enterprises (India) Limited (NSE:GLOBE) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 29% gain in the last month alone. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 42% in the last twelve months.
In spite of the firm bounce in price, given about half the companies in India have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 26x, you may still consider Globe Enterprises (India) as an attractive investment with its 15x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.
For instance, Globe Enterprises (India)'s receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.
See our latest analysis for Globe Enterprises (India)
Globe Enterprises (India)'s P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.
If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 51%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 71% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 25% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.
With this information, we are not surprised that Globe Enterprises (India) is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.
Globe Enterprises (India)'s stock might have been given a solid boost, but its P/E certainly hasn't reached any great heights. It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
We've established that Globe Enterprises (India) maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its sliding earnings over the medium-term, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.
Plus, you should also learn about these 4 warning signs we've spotted with Globe Enterprises (India) (including 2 which don't sit too well with us).
If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Globe Enterprises (India), explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.