Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp.'s (HKG:322) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 15.9x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Hong Kong, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 9x and even P/E's below 5x are quite common. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Recent times have been more advantageous for Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding as its earnings haven't fallen as much as the rest of the market. The P/E is probably high because investors think this comparatively better earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price, especially if earnings continue to dissolve.

See our latest analysis for Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered virtually the same number to the company's bottom line as the year before. The lack of growth did nothing to help the company's aggregate three-year performance, which is an unsavory 28% drop in EPS. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 17% per annum over the next three years. With the market predicted to deliver 15% growth each year, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

With this information, we find it interesting that Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding is trading at a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly average growth expectations and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the share price eventually.

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 Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is only in line with the wider market. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding'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.