Here's What Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings Limited's (HKG:125) P/E Is Telling Us

Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We'll show how you can use Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings Limited's (HKG:125) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Based on the last twelve months, Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E ratio is 9.76. That means that at current prices, buyers pay HK$9.76 for every HK$1 in trailing yearly profits.

See our latest analysis for Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings

How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?

The formula for price to earnings is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings:

P/E of 9.76 = HK$2.68 ÷ HK$0.27 (Based on the year to March 2019.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying a higher price for each HK$1 of company earnings. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E.

How Does Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (9.3) for companies in the luxury industry is roughly the same as Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E.

Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Further research into factors such as insider buying and selling, could help you form your own view on whether that is likely.

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. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up.

Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings increased earnings per share by an impressive 13% over the last twelve months. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 10%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.

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

One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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.

Is Debt Impacting Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E?

Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings has net cash of HK$317m. This is fairly high at 45% 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 Verdict On Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings's P/E Ratio

Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings trades on a P/E ratio of 9.8, which is fairly close to the HK market average of 10. With a strong balance sheet combined with recent growth, the P/E implies the market is quite pessimistic.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But note: Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio 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.