Some Confidence Is Lacking In JiaXing Gas Group Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:9908) P/E

With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 12x in Hong Kong, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about JiaXing Gas Group Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:9908) P/E ratio of 11.1x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

It looks like earnings growth has deserted JiaXing Gas Group recently, which is not something to boast about. It might be that many expect the uninspiring earnings performance to only match most other companies at best over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from rising. If not, then existing shareholders may be feeling hopeful about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for JiaXing Gas Group

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How Is JiaXing Gas Group's Growth Trending?

JiaXing Gas Group's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's bottom line as the year before. Still, the latest three year period was better as it's delivered a decent 26% overall rise in EPS. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 27% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

With this information, we find it interesting that JiaXing Gas Group is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On JiaXing Gas Group's P/E

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our examination of JiaXing Gas Group revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted, given they look worse than current market expectations. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with JiaXing Gas Group.

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