Genting Malaysia Berhad's (KLSE:GENM) 28% Cheaper Price Remains In Tune With Earnings

Genting Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:GENM) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 28% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 36% in that time.

Although its price has dipped substantially, Genting Malaysia Berhad may still be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 39.7x, since almost half of all companies in Malaysia have P/E ratios under 14x and even P/E's lower than 8x 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 so lofty.

Genting Malaysia Berhad hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Genting Malaysia Berhad's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 42% decrease to the company's bottom line. Unfortunately, that's brought it right back to where it started three years ago with EPS growth being virtually non-existent overall during that time. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 43% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 9.6% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Genting Malaysia Berhad's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

A significant share price dive has done very little to deflate Genting Malaysia Berhad's very lofty P/E. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Genting Malaysia Berhad's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 3 warning signs for Genting Malaysia Berhad (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that we have uncovered.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Genting Malaysia Berhad, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.