With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 6.4x Anhui Conch Cement Company Limited (HKG:914) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios greater than 9x and even P/E's higher than 18x are not unusual.  Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.  

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, Anhui Conch Cement has been very sluggish.   The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all.  If you still like the company, you'd want its earnings trajectory to turn around before making any decisions.  If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.    

Check out our latest analysis for Anhui Conch Cement

SEHK:914 Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry January 24th 2024

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Anhui Conch Cement.

Is There Any Growth For Anhui Conch Cement?  

Anhui Conch Cement's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.  

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 49% decrease to the company's bottom line.   The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 65% in aggregate.  Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.  

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 7.2% each year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company.  Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 15% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

With this information, we can see why Anhui Conch Cement 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

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

As we suspected, our examination of Anhui Conch Cement's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook is contributing to its low P/E.  At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio.  Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Anhui Conch Cement that you need to be mindful of.  

You might be able to find a better investment than Anhui Conch Cement. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.