China Overseas Property Holdings Limited's (HKG:2669) P/E Is On The Mark

When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 9x, you may consider China Overseas Property Holdings Limited (HKG:2669) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 13x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

China Overseas Property Holdings certainly has been doing a good job lately as its earnings growth has been positive while most other companies have been seeing their earnings go backwards. The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for China Overseas Property Holdings

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on China Overseas Property Holdings will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should outperform the market for P/E ratios like China Overseas Property Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 33% last year. 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.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 21% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 15% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why China Overseas Property Holdings is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

What We Can Learn From China Overseas Property Holdings' 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.

As we suspected, our examination of China Overseas Property Holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for China Overseas Property Holdings with six simple checks.

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.