Lacklustre Performance Is Driving Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) Limited's (HKG:6888) Low P/E

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 6.4x Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) Limited (HKG:6888) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios greater than 10x and even P/E's higher than 20x 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.

Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) has been doing a decent job lately as it's been growing earnings at a reasonable pace. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this good earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings)

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

How Is Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings)'s Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings)'s to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company managed to grow earnings per share by a handy 5.0% last year. However, due to its less than impressive performance prior to this period, EPS growth is practically non-existent over the last three years overall. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 15% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we can see why Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.

The Final Word

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for Freetech Road Recycling Technology (Holdings) that you need to be mindful of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x.

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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.