Investors Appear Satisfied With PETRONAS Gas Berhad's (KLSE:PETGAS) Prospects

PETRONAS Gas Berhad's (KLSE:PETGAS) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 19.7x might make it look like a strong sell right now compared to the market in Malaysia, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 12x and even P/E's below 7x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

PETRONAS Gas Berhad hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for PETRONAS Gas Berhad

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Does Growth Match The High P/E?

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

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 17% decrease to the company's bottom line. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 3.7% in total over the last three years. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 11% during the coming year according to the twelve analysts following the company. That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 8.1% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we can see why PETRONAS Gas Berhad is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Key Takeaway

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 PETRONAS Gas Berhad maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, 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. 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 1 warning sign for PETRONAS Gas Berhad that you need to be mindful 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 P/E below 20x.

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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