Dynasty Fine Wines Group Limited (HKG:828) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 82% share price jump in the last month. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 20% is also fairly reasonable.

After such a large jump in price, Dynasty Fine Wines Group may be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 36.2x, since almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios under 9x and even P/E's lower than 4x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

As an illustration, earnings have deteriorated at Dynasty Fine Wines Group over the last year, which is not ideal at all. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

View our latest analysis for Dynasty Fine Wines Group

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Dynasty Fine Wines Group would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 32%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 86% 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 23% shows it's an unpleasant look.

In light of this, it's alarming that Dynasty Fine Wines Group's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Dynasty Fine Wines Group's P/E

Shares in Dynasty Fine Wines Group have built up some good momentum lately, which has really inflated its P/E. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Dynasty Fine Wines Group currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. When we see earnings heading backwards and underperforming the market forecasts, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it will place shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Dynasty Fine Wines Group has 5 warning signs (and 2 which make us uncomfortable) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Dynasty Fine Wines Group. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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