When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 9x, you may consider C&D International Investment Group Limited (HKG:1908) as an attractive investment with its 4.9x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been pleasing for C&D International Investment Group as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Growth For C&D International Investment Group?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like C&D International Investment Group's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 11%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 63% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eight analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 9.3% each year over the next three years. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 16% per year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why C&D International Investment Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see limited future growth and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

The Final Word

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of C&D International Investment Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with C&D International Investment Group, and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on C&D International Investment Group, 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.