Kyungdong Invest Co., Ltd's (KRX:012320) 33% Price Boost Is Out Of Tune With Earnings

The Kyungdong Invest Co., Ltd (KRX:012320) share price has done very well over the last month, posting an excellent gain of 33%. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 13% in the last twelve months.

Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Kyungdong Invest's P/E ratio of 12.6x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in Korea is also close to 13x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Kyungdong Invest as its earnings have been rising very briskly. The P/E is probably moderate because investors think this strong earnings growth might not be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Kyungdong Invest

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Kyungdong Invest will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Does Growth Match The P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like Kyungdong Invest's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 49% last year. Although, its longer-term performance hasn't been as strong with three-year EPS growth being relatively non-existent overall. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 30% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

In light of this, it's curious that Kyungdong Invest's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

The Final Word

Kyungdong Invest appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. 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.

Our examination of Kyungdong Invest 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.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Kyungdong Invest that you should be aware of.

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).

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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.