Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology Co., Ltd (SZSE:002098) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 28% in the last month, although it is still struggling to make up recently lost ground. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 10% in the last twelve months.
Although its price has surged higher, given about half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 32x, you may still consider Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology as an attractive investment with its 18.6x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.
Recent times have been quite advantageous for Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology as its earnings have been rising very briskly. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.
Does Growth Match The Low P/E?
Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology'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.
Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 40% last year. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 121% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.
This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 40% over the next year, materially higher than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.
In light of this, it's understandable that Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on to something they believe will continue to trail the bourse.
The Bottom Line On Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology's P/E
Despite Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology's shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.
We've established that Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its recent three-year growth being lower than the wider market forecast, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
A lot of potential risks can sit within a company's balance sheet. You can assess many of the main risks through our free balance sheet analysis for Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology with six simple checks.
Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Fujian SBS Zipper Science&Technology. 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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