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Earnings Not Telling The Story For LIMES Schlosskliniken AG (ETR:LIK) After Shares Rise 28%

The LIMES Schlosskliniken AG (ETR:LIK) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 28%. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 68% in the last year.

After such a large jump in price, LIMES Schlosskliniken may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 23.8x, since almost half of all companies in Germany have P/E ratios under 15x and even P/E's lower than 7x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for LIMES Schlosskliniken as its earnings have been rising very briskly. 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. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for LIMES Schlosskliniken

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Although there are no analyst estimates available for LIMES Schlosskliniken, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Is There Enough Growth For LIMES Schlosskliniken?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, LIMES Schlosskliniken would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 186%. However, the latest three year period hasn't been as great in aggregate as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 7.5% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's alarming that LIMES Schlosskliniken's 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

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

Our examination of LIMES Schlosskliniken revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look worse than current market expectations. 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 settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for LIMES Schlosskliniken that you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on LIMES Schlosskliniken, 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.

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