Does China Pioneer Pharma Holdings Limited's (HKG:1345) P/E Ratio Signal A Buying Opportunity?

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The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how China Pioneer Pharma Holdings Limited's (HKG:1345) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, China Pioneer Pharma Holdings's P/E ratio is 9.27. That means that at current prices, buyers pay HK$9.27 for every HK$1 in trailing yearly profits.

View our latest analysis for China Pioneer Pharma Holdings

How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

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

Or for China Pioneer Pharma Holdings:

P/E of 9.27 = CN¥0.63 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, CNY ) ÷ CN¥0.068 (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.)

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. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

China Pioneer Pharma Holdings's earnings per share fell by 69% in the last twelve months. And EPS is down 22% a year, over the last 5 years. This could justify a pessimistic P/E.

Does China Pioneer Pharma Holdings Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. If you look at the image below, you can see China Pioneer Pharma Holdings has a lower P/E than the average (16.4) in the healthcare industry classification.

This suggests that market participants think China Pioneer Pharma Holdings will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

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

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. 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).

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

Is Debt Impacting China Pioneer Pharma Holdings's P/E?

With net cash of CN¥97m, China Pioneer Pharma Holdings has a very strong balance sheet, which may be important for its business. Having said that, at 14% of its market capitalization the cash hoard would contribute towards a higher P/E ratio.

The Verdict On China Pioneer Pharma Holdings's P/E Ratio

China Pioneer Pharma Holdings has a P/E of 9.3. That's below the average in the HK market, which is 10.9. The recent drop in earnings per share would almost certainly temper expectations, 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.

When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. 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.' We don't have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.