When close to half the companies in Hong Kong have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 10x, you may consider Sinopec Oilfield Service Corporation (HKG:1033) as a stock to potentially avoid with its 13.8x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Sinopec Oilfield Service certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing earnings at a really rapid pace. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to beat most other companies over the coming period, which has increased investors’ willingness to pay up for the stock. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

See our latest analysis for Sinopec Oilfield Service

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 Sinopec Oilfield Service's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Is Sinopec Oilfield Service's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Sinopec Oilfield Service would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 34% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 382% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 21% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.

With this information, we can see why Sinopec Oilfield Service is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong growth to continue and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Key Takeaway

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Sinopec Oilfield Service maintains its high P/E on the strength of its recent three-year growth being higher than the wider market forecast, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Sinopec Oilfield Service (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of.

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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