It's really great to see that even after a strong run, Shipping Corporation of India (NSE:SCI) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 40% in the last thirty days. And the full year gain of 15% isn't too shabby, either!

Assuming no other changes, a sharply higher share price makes a stock less attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that deep value investors might steer clear when expectations of a company are too high. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for Shipping Corporation of India

How Does Shipping Corporation of India's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 22.06 that there is some investor optimism about Shipping Corporation of India. The image below shows that Shipping Corporation of India has a higher P/E than the average (11.8) P/E for companies in the shipping industry.

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Shipping Corporation of India shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

Shipping Corporation of India's earnings per share fell by 54% in the last twelve months. And over the longer term (3 years) earnings per share have decreased 50% annually. This might lead to low expectations.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

Is Debt Impacting Shipping Corporation of India's P/E?

Shipping Corporation of India has net debt worth a very significant 179% of its market capitalization. This level of debt justifies a relatively low P/E, so remain cognizant of the debt, if you're comparing it to other stocks.

The Bottom Line On Shipping Corporation of India's P/E Ratio

Shipping Corporation of India's P/E is 22.1 which is above average (13.3) in its market. With meaningful debt and a lack of recent earnings growth, the market has high expectations that the business will earn more in the future. What we know for sure is that investors have become much more excited about Shipping Corporation of India recently, since they have pushed its P/E ratio from 15.7 to 22.1 over the last month. If you like to buy stocks that have recently impressed the market, then this one might be a candidate; but if you prefer to invest when there is 'blood in the streets', then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But note: Shipping Corporation of India may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.