When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 9x, you may consider China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (HKG:144) as an attractive investment with its 6.8x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

China Merchants Port Holdings certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for China Merchants Port Holdings

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as China Merchants Port Holdings' is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 50% last year. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen a very unpleasant 2.0% drop in EPS in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 5.0% per annum during the coming three years according to the ten analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to expand by 15% each year, which is noticeably more attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that China Merchants Port Holdings' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Bottom Line On China Merchants Port Holdings' P/E

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that China Merchants Port Holdings maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with China Merchants Port Holdings.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly and trade on P/E's below 20x.

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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.