After Leaping 25% Lily Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603823) Shares Are Not Flying Under The Radar

Lily Group Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603823) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 25% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 31% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Lily Group's P/E ratio of 34.2x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in China is also close to 31x. 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.

Lily Group could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/E from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

Check out our latest analysis for Lily Group

Keen to find out how analysts think Lily Group's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is Lily Group's Growth Trending?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 62% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 53% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the lone analyst covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 35% over the next year. With the market predicted to deliver 36% growth , the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

In light of this, it's understandable that Lily Group's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.

The Final Word

Lily Group appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. 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.

We've established that Lily Group maintains its moderate P/E off the back of its forecast growth being in line with the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement or deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a high or low P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Lily Group, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.