BOSA Technology Holdings Limited's (HKG:8140) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 2.5x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in Hong Kong, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 11x and even P/E's above 21x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

We've discovered 2 warning signs about BOSA Technology Holdings. View them for free.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for BOSA Technology Holdings 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.

See our latest analysis for BOSA Technology Holdings

Although there are no analyst estimates available for BOSA Technology Holdings, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like BOSA Technology Holdings' to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 35% last year. As a result, it also grew EPS by 28% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 18% shows it's noticeably less attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's understandable that BOSA Technology Holdings' P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting to see the recent limited growth rates continue into the future and are only willing to pay a reduced amount for the stock.

What We Can Learn From BOSA Technology Holdings' P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of BOSA Technology Holdings revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its low P/E, given they look worse than current market expectations. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

You need to take note of risks, for example - BOSA Technology Holdings has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

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 a strong growth track record, trading on a low P/E.

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