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Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC's (LON:ALFA) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 28x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in the United Kingdom, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 16x and even P/E's below 9x 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 so lofty.
With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Alfa Financial Software Holdings has been very sluggish. It might be that many expect the dismal earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price.
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What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?
There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Alfa Financial Software Holdings' to be considered reasonable.
If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 45%. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 26% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 14% per annum as estimated by the four analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 15% growth per annum, that's a disappointing outcome.
In light of this, it's alarming that Alfa Financial Software Holdings' P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. There's a very good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the negative growth outlook.
What We Can Learn From Alfa Financial Software Holdings' P/E?
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.
We've established that Alfa Financial Software Holdings currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E for a company whose earnings are forecast to decline. When we see a poor outlook with earnings heading backwards, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.