Not Many Are Piling Into China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited (HKG:1258) Just Yet

With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 10x in Hong Kong, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited's (HKG:1258) P/E ratio of 8.4x. 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.

With earnings growth that's superior to most other companies of late, China Nonferrous Mining has been doing relatively well. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this strong earnings performance might be about to tail off. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

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What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/E?

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

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 21% last year. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 17% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 16% per annum as estimated by the three analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 13% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that China Nonferrous Mining's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are skeptical of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

The Bottom Line On China Nonferrous Mining's P/E

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.

Our examination of China Nonferrous Mining's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for China Nonferrous Mining that you should be aware of.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on China Nonferrous Mining, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.