In the current market session, Chunghwa Telecom Inc. (NYSE:CHT) share price is at $38.07, after a 1.50% decrease. Over the past month, the stock spiked by 0.05%, but over the past year, it actually decreased by 0.34%. With good short-term performance like this, and questionable long-term performance, long-term shareholders might want to start looking into the company's price-to-earnings ratio.

Chunghwa Telecom P/E Compared to Competitors

The P/E ratio is used by long-term shareholders to assess the company's market performance against aggregate market data, historical earnings, and the industry at large. A lower P/E could indicate that shareholders do not expect the stock to perform better in the future or it could mean that the company is undervalued.

Chunghwa Telecom has a lower P/E than the aggregate P/E of 53.15 of the Diversified Telecommunication Services industry. Ideally, one might believe that the stock might perform worse than its peers, but it's also probable that the stock is undervalued.

In conclusion, the price-to-earnings ratio is a useful metric for analyzing a company's market performance, but it has its limitations. While a lower P/E can indicate that a company is undervalued, it can also suggest that shareholders do not expect future growth. Additionally, the P/E ratio should not be used in isolation, as other factors such as industry trends and business cycles can also impact a company's stock price. Therefore, investors should use the P/E ratio in conjunction with other financial metrics and qualitative analysis to make informed investment decisions.