When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 18x, you may consider FinVolution Group (NYSE:FINV) as a highly attractive investment with its 4.6x P/E ratio.  However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.  

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, FinVolution Group has been doing quite well of late.   One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings are going to fall away like everyone else's soon.  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.    

NYSE:FINV Price to Earnings Ratio vs Industry April 9th 2024

Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on FinVolution Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.  

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

FinVolution Group's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.  

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 6.1% gain to the company's bottom line.   EPS has also lifted 25% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth.  Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth.  

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 13%  per year as estimated by the seven analysts watching the company.  That's shaping up to be materially higher than the 11% per annum growth forecast for the broader market.

In light of this, it's peculiar that FinVolution Group's P/E sits below the majority of other companies.  Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.  

The Final Word

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.

Our examination of FinVolution Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted.  When we see a strong earnings outlook with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio.  It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.    

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for FinVolution Group that you need to be mindful 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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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.