With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 5.7x Telecom Digital Holdings Limited (HKG:6033) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios greater than 10x and even P/E's higher than 20x 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 limited.
For example, consider that Telecom Digital Holdings' financial performance has been poor lately as its earnings have been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. However, if this doesn't eventuate then existing shareholders may be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Telecom Digital Holdings
How Is Telecom Digital Holdings' Growth Trending?
In order to justify its P/E ratio, Telecom Digital Holdings would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 25% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 58% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 22% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.
In light of this, it's understandable that Telecom Digital Holdings' P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.
What We Can Learn From Telecom Digital Holdings' 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 Telecom Digital Holdings revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 4 warning signs for Telecom Digital Holdings (2 are a bit concerning!) that you need to be mindful of.
Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Telecom Digital Holdings. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.
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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.