Dongfang Electronics Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000682) Held Back By Insufficient Growth Even After Shares Climb 26%

Despite an already strong run, Dongfang Electronics Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000682) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 26% in the last thirty days. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 31%.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, Dongfang Electronics' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.1x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 33x and even P/E's above 63x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

Recent times have been advantageous for Dongfang Electronics as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

Check out our latest analysis for Dongfang Electronics

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Dongfang Electronics will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Is There Any Growth For Dongfang Electronics?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Dongfang Electronics' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 24% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 94% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 22% each year during the coming three years according to the three analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 25% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Dongfang Electronics is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Final Word

Dongfang Electronics' stock might have been given a solid boost, but its P/E certainly hasn't reached any great heights. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Dongfang Electronics' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Dongfang Electronics that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Dongfang Electronics. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.