CMOC Group Limited (HKG:3993) Held Back By Insufficient Growth Even After Shares Climb 30%

CMOC Group Limited (HKG:3993) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 30% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 18% in the last twelve months.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, CMOC Group may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.1x, since almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios greater than 11x and even P/E's higher than 23x 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.

Our free stock report includes 1 warning sign investors should be aware of before investing in CMOC Group. Read for free now.

CMOC Group certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for CMOC Group

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on CMOC Group.

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

In order to justify its P/E ratio, CMOC Group would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 53% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 160% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 4.8% each year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 15% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that CMOC Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From CMOC Group's P/E?

Despite CMOC Group's shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of CMOC Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

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

If you're unsure about the strength of CMOC Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.