There's No Escaping Zhuhai Huajin Capital Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:000532) Muted Earnings Despite A 27% Share Price Rise

Despite an already strong run, Zhuhai Huajin Capital Co., Ltd. (SZSE:000532) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 27% in the last thirty days. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 24% is also fairly reasonable.

Although its price has surged higher, Zhuhai Huajin Capital may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 28.6x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 33x and even P/E's higher than 62x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

Earnings have risen firmly for Zhuhai Huajin Capital recently, which is pleasing to see. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this respectable earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Zhuhai Huajin Capital

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Zhuhai Huajin Capital will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Any Growth For Zhuhai Huajin Capital?

Zhuhai Huajin Capital's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 17%. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year EPS growth being relatively non-existent overall. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 39% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's understandable that Zhuhai Huajin Capital's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

The Bottom Line On Zhuhai Huajin Capital's P/E

Despite Zhuhai Huajin Capital's shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that Zhuhai Huajin Capital maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Zhuhai Huajin Capital that we have uncovered.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.