With a price-to-earnings (or “P/E”) ratio of 16x Hebei Yichen Industrial Group Corporation Limited (HKG:1596) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios under 11x and even P/E’s lower than 5x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it’s justified.
Hebei Yichen Industrial Group has been doing a good job lately as it’s been growing earnings at a solid pace. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this respectable earnings growth will be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You’d really hope so, otherwise you’re paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
View our latest analysis for Hebei Yichen Industrial Group
Is There Enough Growth For Hebei Yichen Industrial Group?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Hebei Yichen Industrial Group would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 20% gain to the company’s bottom line. However, this wasn’t enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 38% drop in EPS in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 20% growth in the next 12 months, the company’s downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.
In light of this, it’s alarming that Hebei Yichen Industrial Group’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. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.
The Final Word
While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn’t be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it’s quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.
Our examination of Hebei Yichen Industrial Group revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term aren’t impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given the market is set to grow. When we see earnings heading backwards and underperforming the market forecasts, 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.
Having said that, be aware Hebei Yichen Industrial Group is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis, you should know about.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x.
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