With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.1x China Tobacco International (HK) Company Limited (HKG:6055) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios under 8x and even P/E's lower than 4x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for China Tobacco International (HK) as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors' willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for China Tobacco International (HK)

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

China Tobacco International (HK)'s P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 100%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 150% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the dual analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 58% over the next year. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 23%, which is noticeably less attractive.

With this information, we can see why China Tobacco International (HK) is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On China Tobacco International (HK)'s P/E

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.

As we suspected, our examination of China Tobacco International (HK)'s analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for China Tobacco International (HK) with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on China Tobacco International (HK), 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.