UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ:TIGR) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 35% after a shaky period beforehand. The annual gain comes to 126% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

Since its price has surged higher, UP Fintech Holding may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.2x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 17x and even P/E's lower than 10x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

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With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, UP Fintech Holding has been doing relatively well. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on UP Fintech Holding.

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 UP Fintech Holding's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 80% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 247% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 8.0% each year as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 10% each year growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's alarming that UP Fintech Holding's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Final Word

UP Fintech Holding's P/E is flying high just like its stock has during the last month. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that UP Fintech Holding currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

You might be able to find a better investment than UP Fintech Holding.

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.