When Should You Buy SITC International Holdings Company Limited (HKG:1308)?

SITC International Holdings Company Limited (HKG:1308), is not the largest company out there, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$27.35 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$14.90. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether SITC International Holdings' current trading price of HK$15.00 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at SITC International Holdings’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Check out our latest analysis for SITC International Holdings

Is SITC International Holdings Still Cheap?

According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 2.78x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 2.15x, which means if you buy SITC International Holdings today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe that SITC International Holdings should be trading at this level in the long run, then there should only be a fairly immaterial downside vs other industry peers. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because SITC International Holdings’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

What kind of growth will SITC International Holdings generate?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. However, with a negative profit growth of -14% expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth certainly doesn’t appear to be a driver for a buy decision for SITC International Holdings. This certainty tips the risk-return scale towards higher risk.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? 1308 seems priced close to industry peers right now, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to reduce the risk in your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock beneficial for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on 1308, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on 1308 for a while, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. This means there’s less benefit from mispricing. In addition to this, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help gel your views on 1308 should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing SITC International Holdings at this point in time. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (2 are concerning!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in SITC International Holdings.

If you are no longer interested in SITC International Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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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.