L.K. Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:558) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 28% after a shaky period beforehand. But the last month did very little to improve the 55% share price decline over the last year.
Although its price has surged higher, you could still be forgiven for feeling indifferent about L.K. Technology Holdings' P/E ratio of 8.5x, since the median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio in Hong Kong is also close to 10x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.
L.K. Technology Holdings hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/E from falling. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.
Check out our latest analysis for L.K. Technology Holdings
Keen to find out how analysts think L.K. Technology Holdings' future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like L.K. Technology Holdings' is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.
Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 8.8% decrease to the company's bottom line. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 35% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 14% per year during the coming three years according to the seven analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 12% growth per year, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.
With this information, we can see why L.K. Technology Holdings is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It seems most investors are expecting to see average future growth and are only willing to pay a moderate amount for the stock.
L.K. Technology Holdings appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. 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 L.K. Technology Holdings maintains its moderate P/E off the back of its forecast growth being in line with the wider market, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement or deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a high or low P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to support the share price at these levels.
Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with L.K. Technology Holdings (including 1 which is significant).
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.
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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.