Subdued Growth No Barrier To Lloyds Enterprises Limited (NSE:LLOYDSENT) With Shares Advancing 29%

Lloyds Enterprises Limited (NSE:LLOYDSENT) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 29% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 15% is also fairly reasonable.

After such a large jump in price, Lloyds Enterprises may be sending bearish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 36.2x, since almost half of all companies in India have P/E ratios under 25x and even P/E's lower than 14x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

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With earnings growth that's exceedingly strong of late, Lloyds Enterprises has been doing very well. 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.

See our latest analysis for Lloyds Enterprises

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 Lloyds Enterprises' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the market for P/E ratios like Lloyds Enterprises' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 183% gain to the company's bottom line. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 59% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 25% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's alarming that Lloyds Enterprises' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Key Takeaway

Lloyds Enterprises' P/E is getting right up there since its shares have risen strongly. 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 Lloyds Enterprises currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, 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.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Lloyds Enterprises that we have uncovered.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.

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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.