Chi Ho Development Holdings Limited's (HKG:8423) Price Is Right But Growth Is Lacking After Shares Rocket 27%

Chi Ho Development Holdings Limited (HKG:8423) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 27% after a shaky period beforehand. Unfortunately, the gains of the last month did little to right the losses of the last year with the stock still down 30% over that time.

Although its price has surged higher, Chi Ho Development Holdings may still be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 2.9x, since almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios greater than 12x and even P/E's higher than 23x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

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Earnings have risen firmly for Chi Ho Development Holdings recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

See our latest analysis for Chi Ho Development Holdings

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

Chi Ho Development Holdings' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 20% last year. Still, incredibly EPS has fallen 46% in total from three years ago, which is quite disappointing. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 18% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

With this information, we are not surprised that Chi Ho Development 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. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

What We Can Learn From Chi Ho Development Holdings' P/E?

Even after such a strong price move, Chi Ho Development Holdings' P/E still trails the rest of the market significantly. 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 Chi Ho Development 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. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Chi Ho Development Holdings (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Chi Ho Development Holdings, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.