Powermatic Data Systems Limited (SGX:BCY) shares have had a really impressive month, gaining 26% after a shaky period beforehand. Looking further back, the 11% rise over the last twelve months isn't too bad notwithstanding the strength over the last 30 days.

Although its price has surged higher, given about half the companies in Singapore have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 13x, you may still consider Powermatic Data Systems as an attractive investment with its 9.4x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Earnings have risen firmly for Powermatic Data Systems recently, which is pleasing to see. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this respectable 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Powermatic Data Systems

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Powermatic Data Systems, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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

There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Powermatic Data Systems' to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 25%. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 42% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Comparing that to the market, which is only predicted to deliver 9.7% 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 Powermatic Data Systems 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

Despite Powermatic Data Systems' shares building up a head of steam, its P/E still lags most other companies. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Powermatic Data Systems currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider market forecast. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching this positive performance. 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.

Having said that, be aware Powermatic Data Systems is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, you should know about.

If you're unsure about the strength of Powermatic Data Systems' business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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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.