HPC Holdings Limited (HKG:1742) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 56% gain and recovering from prior weakness. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 52%.
Although its price has surged higher, it's still not a stretch to say that HPC Holdings' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 9.8x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in Hong Kong, where the median P/E ratio is around 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.
For instance, HPC Holdings' receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing earnings performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from falling. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.
View our latest analysis for HPC Holdings
What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/E?
The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like HPC Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.
Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 33%. At least EPS has managed not to go completely backwards from three years ago in aggregate, thanks to the earlier period of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company.
Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 22% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.
With this information, we find it interesting that HPC Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently many investors in the company are less bearish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.
The Bottom Line On HPC Holdings' P/E
HPC Holdings' stock has a lot of momentum behind it lately, which has brought its P/E level with the market. 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.
We've established that HPC Holdings currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. Right now we are uncomfortable with the P/E as this earnings performance isn't likely to support a more positive sentiment for long. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.
Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for HPC Holdings (1 can't be ignored!) that we have uncovered.
If you're unsure about the strength of HPC 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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