Not Many Are Piling Into Oriental Holdings Berhad (KLSE:ORIENT) Just Yet

Simply Wall St
·3 min read

With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.1x Oriental Holdings Berhad (KLSE:ORIENT) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Malaysia have P/E ratios greater than 13x and even P/E's higher than 23x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Oriental Holdings Berhad as its earnings have been rising very briskly. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Oriental Holdings Berhad

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We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Oriental Holdings Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Oriental Holdings Berhad would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 85% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 57% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 8.0% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Oriental Holdings Berhad's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

The Final Word

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that Oriental Holdings Berhad currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider market forecast. When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. At least price risks look to be very low if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Oriental Holdings Berhad (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that we have uncovered.

If you're unsure about the strength of Oriental Holdings Berhad's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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