When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 9x, you may consider Henderson Land Development Company Limited (HKG:12) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 16.7x 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 so lofty.

Henderson Land Development could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think this poor earnings performance will turn the corner. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for Henderson Land Development

Keen to find out how analysts think Henderson Land Development's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Does Growth Match The High P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Henderson Land Development's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 38%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 53% overall. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 35% each year as estimated by the twelve analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 13% each year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Henderson Land Development's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Bottom Line On Henderson Land Development's 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 Henderson Land Development's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for Henderson Land Development (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you need to be mindful of.

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

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