Poly Property Services Co., Ltd. (HKG:6049) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 27% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Notwithstanding the latest gain, the annual share price return of 4.1% isn't as impressive.
In spite of the firm bounce in price, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Poly Property Services' P/E ratio of 11.3x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in Hong Kong is also close to 10x. 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.
Poly Property Services certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is moderate because investors think this strong earnings performance might be about to tail off. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for Poly Property Services
How Is Poly Property Services' Growth Trending?
Poly Property Services' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver moderate growth, and importantly, perform in line with the market.
If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 18%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 92% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 8.8% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 12% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.
With this information, we find it interesting that Poly Property Services is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. These shareholders may be setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.
The Bottom Line On Poly Property Services' P/E
Poly Property Services' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/E level with the market. It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.
Our examination of Poly Property Services' analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.
Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Poly Property Services that you should be aware of.
It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).
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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.