China Ludao Technology Company Limited (HKG:2023) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 30% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Unfortunately, despite the strong performance over the last month, the full year gain of 3.0% isn't as attractive.
In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about China Ludao Technology's P/E ratio of 8.3x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in Hong Kong is also close to 9x. 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.
China Ludao Technology certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing earnings at a really rapid pace. 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.
View our latest analysis for China Ludao Technology
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/E?
The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like China Ludao Technology's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 79% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 52% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 21% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is weaker based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.
In light of this, it's curious that China Ludao Technology'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. They may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.
The Key Takeaway
China Ludao Technology appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. 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.
Our examination of China Ludao Technology 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. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for China Ludao Technology (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you need to be mindful of.
If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.
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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.