March 29, 2024

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Is Dongyue Group Limited’s (HKG:189) P/E Ratio Really That Good?

Today, we’ll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We’ll look at Dongyue Group Limited’s (HKG:189) P/E ratio and reflect on what it tells us about the company’s share price. Dongyue Group has a price to earnings ratio of 4.07, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at today’s prices, investors are paying HK$4.07 for every HK$1 in prior year profit.

Check out our latest analysis for Dongyue Group

How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?

The formula for price to earnings is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency) ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Dongyue Group:

P/E of 4.07 = CN¥2.848 ÷ CN¥0.699 (Based on the year to December 2019.)

(Note: the above calculation uses the share price in the reporting currency, namely CNY and the calculation results may not be precise due to rounding.)

Is A High P/E Ratio Good?

The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. All else being equal, it’s better to pay a low price — but as Warren Buffett said, ‘It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price’.

Does Dongyue Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. If you look at the image below, you can see Dongyue Group has a lower P/E than the average (6.6) in the chemicals industry classification.

SEHK:189 Price Estimation Relative to Market May 29th 2020

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Dongyue Group shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Since the market seems unimpressed with Dongyue Group, it’s quite possible it could surprise on the upside. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company’s P/E multiple. If earnings are growing quickly, then the ‘E’ in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

Dongyue Group saw earnings per share decrease by 31% last year. But it has grown its earnings per share by 25% per year over the last five years.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don’t Consider The Balance Sheet

It’s important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash).

While growth expenditure doesn’t always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores.

Dongyue Group’s Balance Sheet

Dongyue Group has net cash of CN¥1.2b. This is fairly high at 19% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.

The Bottom Line On Dongyue Group’s P/E Ratio

Dongyue Group has a P/E of 4.1. That’s below the average in the HK market, which is 9.3. Falling earnings per share are likely to be keeping potential buyers away, the relatively strong balance sheet will allow the company time to invest in growth. If it achieves that, then there’s real potential that the low P/E could eventually indicate undervaluation.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, ‘In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

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 modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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. Thank you for reading.

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