Is It Too Late To Consider Buying China Gas Holdings Limited (HKG:384)?

China Gas Holdings Limited (HKG:384), 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$8.88 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$6.92. 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 China Gas Holdings' current trading price of HK$7.16 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 China Gas Holdings’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for China Gas Holdings

Is China Gas 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. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that China Gas Holdings’s ratio of 9.06x is trading in-line with its industry peers’ ratio, which means if you buy China Gas Holdings today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. Furthermore, it seems like China Gas Holdings’s share price is quite stable, which means there may be less chances to buy low in the future now that it’s priced similarly to industry peers. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What kind of growth will China Gas Holdings generate?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 67% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for China Gas Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in 384’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at 384? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on 384, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for 384, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing China Gas Holdings at this point in time. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for China Gas Holdings (1 is potentially serious) you should be familiar with.

If you are no longer interested in China Gas 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.