Singapore Land Group Limited (SGX:U06) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 26% gain in the last month alone. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 53% in the last year.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Singapore Land Group's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 13.7x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in Singapore, where the median P/E ratio is around 13x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

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The recent earnings growth at Singapore Land Group would have to be considered satisfactory if not spectacular. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to only match most other companies over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from rising. If not, then at least existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Singapore Land Group

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Singapore Land Group will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Some Growth For Singapore Land Group?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Singapore Land Group's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 4.8%. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with EPS shrinking 14% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 13% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

With this information, we find it concerning that Singapore Land Group is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently many investors in the company are way less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. 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 the recent negative growth rates.

What We Can Learn From Singapore Land Group's P/E?

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Singapore Land Group's P/E is also back up to the market median. 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 Singapore Land Group currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see earnings heading backwards and underperforming the market forecasts, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Singapore Land Group (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Singapore Land Group. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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.