Frontier Developments plc (LON:FDEV) Looks Just Right With A 29% Price Jump
Despite an already strong run, Frontier Developments plc (LON:FDEV) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 29% in the last thirty days. The last month tops off a massive increase of 166% in the last year.
Since its price has surged higher, given close to half the companies in the United Kingdom have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Frontier Developments as a stock to avoid entirely with its 64.8x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.
There hasn't been much to differentiate Frontier Developments' and the market's retreating earnings lately. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company can turn things around and break free from the broader downward trend in earnings. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
Check out our latest analysis for Frontier Developments
If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Frontier Developments.
How Is Frontier Developments' Growth Trending?
Frontier Developments' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.
If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 8.7%. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 82% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the ten analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 28% per year over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 15% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.
With this information, we can see why Frontier Developments is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.
What We Can Learn From Frontier Developments' P/E?
Shares in Frontier Developments have built up some good momentum lately, which has really inflated its P/E. 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 Frontier Developments maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.
You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Frontier Developments you should be aware of.
You might be able to find a better investment than Frontier Developments. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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