AP Rentals Holdings Limited (HKG:1496) shares have retraced a considerable 29% in the last month, reversing a fair amount of their solid recent performance. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 24% in that time.

In spite of the heavy fall in price, it's still not a stretch to say that AP Rentals Holdings' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.1x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in Hong Kong, where the median P/E ratio is around 10x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

Earnings have risen firmly for AP Rentals Holdings recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to wane, which has kept the P/E from rising. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders probably aren't too pessimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Some Growth For AP Rentals Holdings?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like AP Rentals Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 16% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 2,952% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 23% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we find it interesting that AP Rentals Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance is at its limits and have been accepting lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From AP Rentals Holdings' P/E?

AP Rentals Holdings' plummeting stock price has brought its P/E right back to the rest of the market. 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.

Our examination of AP Rentals Holdings revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted, given they look better than current market expectations. When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 3 warning signs for AP Rentals Holdings that you should be aware of.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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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.