With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 56.4x Ningbo TIP Rubber Technology Co.,Ltd (SHSE:605255) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 28x and even P/E's lower than 17x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
Earnings have risen firmly for Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
View our latest analysis for Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd
Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd will help you shine a light on its historical performance.Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.
If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 9.6%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 62% overall drop in EPS. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.
Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 36% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.
In light of this, it's alarming that Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than recent times would indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. There's a very good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the recent negative growth rates.
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 Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its recent earnings have been in decline over the medium-term. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as this earnings performance is highly unlikely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.
There are also other vital risk factors to consider and we've discovered 2 warning signs for Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Ningbo TIP Rubber TechnologyLtd. 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.