Smart-Core Holdings Limited (HKG:2166) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 30% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 24% is also fairly reasonable.
Even after such a large jump in price, given about half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 11x, you may still consider Smart-Core Holdings as an attractive investment with its 8.1x 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 quite advantageous for Smart-Core Holdings as its earnings have been rising very briskly. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.
See our latest analysis for Smart-Core Holdings
How Is Smart-Core Holdings' Growth Trending?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Smart-Core Holdings' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 199% last year. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 27% drop in EPS in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.
Weighing that medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 22% shows it's an unpleasant look.
With this information, we are not surprised that Smart-Core Holdings is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.
The Key Takeaway
Despite Smart-Core Holdings' shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. 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 Smart-Core 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.
Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with Smart-Core Holdings.
If you're unsure about the strength of Smart-Core Holdings' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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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.