Getting In Cheap On K2 F&B Holdings Limited (HKG:2108) Is Unlikely

Explore K2 F&B Holdings's Fair Values from the Community and select yours

There wouldn't be many who think K2 F&B Holdings Limited's (HKG:2108) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 10.4x is worth a mention when the median P/E in Hong Kong is similar at about 12x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit.

As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at K2 F&B Holdings over the last year, which is not ideal at all. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing earnings performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from falling. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

Check out our latest analysis for K2 F&B Holdings

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on K2 F&B Holdings will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

How Is K2 F&B Holdings' Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, K2 F&B Holdings would need to produce growth that's similar to the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 62%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 38% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 21% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

With this information, we find it concerning that K2 F&B Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the recent poor growth rate and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.

The Key Takeaway

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 K2 F&B Holdings currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we are uncomfortable with the P/E as this earnings performance is unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

You need to take note of risks, for example - K2 F&B Holdings has 4 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on K2 F&B Holdings, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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.