When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 11x, you may consider Sunlight (1977) Holdings Limited (HKG:8451) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 17.6x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

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For instance, Sunlight (1977) Holdings' receding earnings in recent times would have to be some food for thought. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will still do enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Sunlight (1977) Holdings

Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Sunlight (1977) Holdings will help you shine a light on its historical performance.

Is There Enough Growth For Sunlight (1977) Holdings?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Sunlight (1977) Holdings would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 56% decrease to the company's bottom line. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 257% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

This is in contrast to the rest of the market, which is expected to grow by 20% over the next year, materially lower than the company's recent medium-term annualised growth rates.

With this information, we can see why Sunlight (1977) Holdings is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Presumably shareholders aren't keen to offload something they believe will continue to outmanoeuvre the bourse.

What We Can Learn From Sunlight (1977) 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 Sunlight (1977) Holdings revealed its three-year earnings trends are contributing to its high P/E, given they look better than current market expectations. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident earnings aren't under threat. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Sunlight (1977) Holdings (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

You might be able to find a better investment than Sunlight (1977) Holdings. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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