Omnibridge Holdings Limited (HKG:8462) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 43% gain in the last month alone. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 76% in the last year.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, there still wouldn't be many who think Omnibridge Holdings' price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7x is worth a mention when the median P/E in Hong Kong is similar at about 9x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

For instance, Omnibridge Holdings' receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. It might be that many expect the company to put the disappointing earnings performance behind them over the coming period, which has kept the P/E from falling. If you like the company, you'd at least be hoping this is the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/E?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Omnibridge Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 37%. Unfortunately, that's brought it right back to where it started three years ago with EPS growth being virtually non-existent overall during that time. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

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

With this information, we find it interesting that Omnibridge Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are willing to pay up for exposure to the stock. Maintaining these prices will be difficult to achieve as a continuation of recent earnings trends is likely to weigh down the shares eventually.

What We Can Learn From Omnibridge Holdings' P/E?

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Omnibridge Holdings' P/E is also back up to the market median. 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.

We've established that Omnibridge Holdings currently trades on a higher than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is lower than the wider market forecast. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Plus, you should also learn about these 3 warning signs we've spotted with Omnibridge Holdings (including 2 which don't sit too well with us).

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Omnibridge Holdings. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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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.