When close to half the companies in Singapore have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 12x, you may consider UOL Group Limited (SGX:U14) as an attractive investment with its 6.5x 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 advantageous for UOL Group as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.
Does Growth Match The Low P/E?
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as UOL Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.
If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 175%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 276% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.
Turning to the outlook, the next three years should bring diminished returns, with earnings decreasing 18% per annum as estimated by the eight analysts watching the company. That's not great when the rest of the market is expected to grow by 10% per year.
With this information, we are not surprised that UOL Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. However, shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.
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 UOL Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings 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.
You need to take note of risks, for example - UOL Group has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.
If you're unsure about the strength of UOL Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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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.
