When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 9x, you may consider Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited (HKG:168) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 16.2x P/E ratio. 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.

Tsingtao Brewery could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

How Is Tsingtao Brewery's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Tsingtao Brewery's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

If we review the last year of earnings, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 52% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its uninspiring short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 6.3% per year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 12% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's alarming that Tsingtao Brewery's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook.

The Final Word

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 Tsingtao Brewery currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. When we see a weak earnings outlook with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at significant risk and potential investors in danger of paying an excessive premium.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Tsingtao Brewery (including 1 which is a bit concerning).

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Tsingtao Brewery. 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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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.