When close to half the companies in Malaysia have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 16x, you may consider Ibraco Berhad (KLSE:IBRACO) as an attractive investment with its 10.1x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
Recent times have been pleasing for Ibraco Berhad as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Ibraco Berhad
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?
Ibraco Berhad's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 90% last year. As a result, it also grew EPS by 14% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the only analyst covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 6.6% over the next year. With the market predicted to deliver 15% growth , the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.
In light of this, it's understandable that Ibraco Berhad's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.
The Bottom Line On Ibraco Berhad's P/E
Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.
As we suspected, our examination of Ibraco Berhad's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Ibraco Berhad (1 is potentially serious) you should be aware of.
You might be able to find a better investment than Ibraco Berhad. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).
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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.
About KLSE:IBRACO
Ibraco Berhad
Engages in the construction and development of properties primarily in Malaysia.
High growth potential with adequate balance sheet.
