Minth Group Limited (HKG:425) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 30% gain in the last month alone. The annual gain comes to 104% following the latest surge, making investors sit up and take notice.

In spite of the firm bounce in price, there still wouldn't be many who think Minth Group's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11.5x is worth a mention when the median P/E in Hong Kong is similar at about 12x. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/E ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

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Recent times have been advantageous for Minth Group as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to wane, which has kept the P/E from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

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What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/E?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Minth Group's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 22%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 55% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 19% per annum over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 15% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

In light of this, it's curious that Minth Group's P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Key Takeaway

Its shares have lifted substantially and now Minth Group's P/E is also back up to the market median. 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.

We've established that Minth Group currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Our free balance sheet analysis for Minth Group with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Minth Group. 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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