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China TelecomFRA:ZCH 84 Forward PE Ratio is 12.62 as of Aug. 15, 2026. GuruFocus rates FRA:ZCH with a GF Score™ of 84/100 and a GF Value™ of €0.56. The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 211 Telecommunication Services companies, China Telecom ranks better than 61.14% on this metric.
China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio for today is 12.62.
China Telecom (FRA:ZCH) Forward PE Ratio Explanation
The Forward PE Ratio of a company is often used to compare current earnings to estimated future earnings, as well as gaining a clearer picture of what earnings will look like without charges and other accounting adjustments. If earnings are expected to grow in the future, the Forward PE Ratio will be lower than the current PE Ratio. This measure is also used to compare one company to another with a forward-looking focus.
Trailing PE Ratio relies on what is already done. It uses the current share price and divides by the total EPS (Basic) over the past 12 months. PE Ratio can be affected by Non Operating Income such as the sale of part of businesses. This may increase for the current year or quarter dramatically. But it cannot be repeated over and over. Therefore PE Ratio without NRI is a more accurate indication of valuation than PE Ratio .
China Telecom Forward PE Ratio Related Terms
China Telecom Forward PE Ratio Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
China Telecom Forward PE Ratio Chart
China Telecom Annual Data
Trend
2015-12
2016-12
2017-12
2018-12
2019-12
2020-12
2021-12
2022-12
2023-12
2024-12
2025-12
Forward PE Ratio
14.39
11.43
10.95
11.86
10.00
7.06
6.28
7.01
8.63
10.39
10.82
China Telecom Quarterly Data
2015-12
2016-03
2016-06
2016-09
2016-12
2017-03
2017-06
2017-09
2017-12
2018-03
2018-06
2018-09
2018-12
2019-03
2019-06
2019-09
2019-12
2020-03
2020-06
2020-09
2020-12
2021-03
2021-06
2021-09
2021-12
2022-03
2022-06
2022-09
2022-12
2023-03
2023-06
2023-09
2023-12
2024-06
2024-09
2024-12
2025-03
2025-06
2025-09
2025-12
2026-03
Forward PE Ratio
14.39
15.24
12.47
13.21
11.43
13.81
14.16
12.41
10.95
10.12
11.34
11.12
11.86
12.95
11.64
10.19
10.00
8.69
8.24
7.72
7.06
7.56
8.08
7.01
6.28
7.46
6.82
6.42
7.01
10.66
9.52
9.30
8.63
11.68
9.29
10.39
10.39
11.28
10.82
10.82
11.04
FRA:ZCH vs VZ, TMUS, T: Forward PE Ratio Comparison
For the Telecom Services subindustry, China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio, along with its competitors' market caps and Forward PE Ratio data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
China Telecom Forward PE Ratio vs Telecommunication Services Industry
For the Telecommunication Services industry and Communication Services sector, China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio falls into.
It's a measure of the price-to-earnings ratio (PE Ratio) using forecasted earnings for the calculation. While the earnings used are just an estimate and are not as reliable as current earnings data, there is still benefit in estimated P/E analysis. The forecasted earnings used in the formula can either be for the next 12 months or for the next full-year fiscal period.
China Telecom (FRA:ZCH) has a Forward PE Ratio of 12.62 as of Aug. 15, 2026. Forward P/E ratio is the share price dividend by the expected per-share earnings in the next 12 months. View historical data on China Telecom and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, China Telecom ranks #82 out of 211 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, placing it in the top 38.9%.
Is China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio too high?
China Telecom's current Forward PE Ratio is 12.62. The Telecommunication Services industry median Forward PE Ratio is 14.58. China Telecom's value of 12.62 is 13.4% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, China Telecom ranks #82 out of 211 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, China Telecom has a GF Score™ of 84/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does China Telecom's Forward PE Ratio compare to VZ and TMUS?
According to the Telecommunication Services industry distribution chart, China Telecom ranks #82 out of 211 companies for Forward PE Ratio. This puts China Telecom in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Forward PE Ratio is 14.58. China Telecom's value of 12.62 is 13.4% below this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Forward PE Ratio for a Telecommunication Services company?
The median Forward PE Ratio among Telecommunication Services companies is 14.58, based on 211 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Forward PE Ratio significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Forward PE Ratio should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. China Telecom's current Forward PE Ratio of 12.62 is 13.4% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Forward PE Ratio mean?
A high Forward PE Ratio can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Forward P/E ratio is the share price dividend by the expected per-share earnings in the next 12 months. View historical data on China Telecom and its competitors. For the Telecommunication Services industry, the median Forward PE Ratio is 14.58 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. China Telecom's current Forward PE Ratio is 12.62. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is China Telecom stock overvalued right now?
China Telecom (FRA:ZCH) has a current Forward PE Ratio of 12.62. The stock's GF Value™ is €0.56, compared to a current price of €0.53 — trading 5.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Forward PE Ratio is 12.62 and 13.4% below the Telecommunication Services industry median of 14.58. China Telecom's overall GF Score™ is 84/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Forward PE Ratio calculated?
Forward PE Ratio is calculated from a company's financial statements. For China Telecom (FRA:ZCH), the current Forward PE Ratio is 12.62 as of Aug. 15, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is China Telecom (FRA:ZCH) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, China Telecom stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of €0.53 is trading 5.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of €0.56.
Key valuation signals for FRA:ZCH:
Forward PE Ratio: 12.62
GF Value™: €0.56 vs. price of €0.53 (5.4% below fair value)
Industry Position: 13.4% below the Telecommunication Services median (#82 of 211)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:ZCH stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
China Telecom is the largest fixed-line operator in China, originally covering 21 southern provinces but now operating nationally. It has 201 million broadband customers, and 439 million wireless subscribers, having overtaken China Unicom to become the second-largest wireless operator in China behind China Mobile. The firm is increasing its cross-selling of products and seeing strong growth from industrial digitization services, such as internet data centers and cloud computing. Its internet data center business is already the largest in China and it is expanding overseas.
84GF Score
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Forward PE Ratio is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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