JK Lakshmi Cement Limited's (NSE:JKLAKSHMI) Low P/E No Reason For Excitement

JK Lakshmi Cement Limited's (NSE:JKLAKSHMI) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 19.5x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in India, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 26x and even P/E's above 50x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

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JK Lakshmi Cement certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, 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.

Check out our latest analysis for JK Lakshmi Cement

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on JK Lakshmi Cement.

How Is JK Lakshmi Cement's Growth Trending?

JK Lakshmi Cement'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.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 28% last year. The latest three year period has also seen a 8.6% overall rise in EPS, aided extensively by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been respectable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 11% each year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 20% per annum, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why JK Lakshmi Cement is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Bottom Line On JK Lakshmi Cement's P/E

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of JK Lakshmi Cement's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for JK Lakshmi Cement 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.