nib holdings limited (ASX:NHF) Looks Inexpensive But Perhaps Not Attractive Enough

Simply Wall St

When close to half the companies in Australia have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 22x, you may consider nib holdings limited (ASX:NHF) as an attractive investment with its 18.4x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times haven't been advantageous for nib holdings as its earnings have been rising slower than most other companies. The P/E is probably low because investors think this lacklustre earnings performance isn't going to get any better. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for nib holdings

ASX:NHF Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry October 15th 2025
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Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, nib holdings would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 7.9% gain to the company's bottom line. This was backed up an excellent period prior to see EPS up by 34% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 7.3% each year during the coming three years according to the ten analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 17% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that nib holdings' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From nib holdings' P/E?

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.

As we suspected, our examination of nib holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with nib holdings.

If you're unsure about the strength of nib holdings' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.

Discover if nib holdings might be undervalued or overvalued with our detailed analysis, featuring fair value estimates, potential risks, dividends, insider trades, and its financial condition.

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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.