The VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ:VCIG) share price has fared very poorly over the last month, falling by a substantial 26%.    The recent drop completes a disastrous twelve months for shareholders, who are sitting on a 69% loss during that time.  

Although its price has dipped substantially, VCI Global may still be sending very bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 5.5x, since almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios greater than 18x and even P/E's higher than 32x are not unusual.  Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.  

VCI Global certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing earnings at a really rapid pace.   One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future.  If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.    

NasdaqCM:VCIG Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry May 22nd 2024

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 VCI Global's earnings, revenue and cash flow.  

Is There Any Growth For VCI Global?  

In order to justify its P/E ratio, VCI Global would need to produce anemic growth that's substantially trailing the market.  

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 55% last year.    The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 805% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance.  Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.  

Comparing that to the market, which is only predicted to deliver 13% growth in the next 12 months, the company's momentum is stronger based on recent medium-term annualised earnings results.

With this information, we find it odd that VCI Global is trading at a P/E lower than the market.  Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.  

The Key Takeaway

VCI Global's P/E looks about as weak as its stock price lately.      Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

We've established that VCI Global currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider market forecast.  When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio.  At least price risks look to be very low if recent medium-term earnings trends continue, but investors seem to think future earnings could see a lot of volatility.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 5 warning signs for VCI Global (1 shouldn't be ignored!) 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 low P/E.  

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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.