The Frontage Holdings Corporation (HKG:1521) share price has softened a substantial 28% over the previous 30 days, handing back much of the gains the stock has made lately. The drop over the last 30 days has capped off a tough year for shareholders, with the share price down 31% in that time.

Even after such a large drop in price, Frontage Holdings may still be sending very bearish signals at the moment with a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 52.5x, since almost half of all companies in Hong Kong have P/E ratios under 10x and even P/E's lower than 6x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Frontage Holdings' earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Frontage Holdings

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Frontage Holdings.

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

Frontage Holdings' P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 65% decrease to the company's bottom line. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 72% in aggregate. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the dual analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 88% per year over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 12% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's understandable that Frontage Holdings' 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 Key Takeaway

Frontage Holdings' shares may have retreated, but its P/E is still flying high. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of Frontage Holdings' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Frontage Holdings has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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