When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 36x, you may consider SDIC Capital Co.,Ltd (SHSE:600061) as a highly attractive investment with its 13.4x 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.

Recent times have been pleasing for SDIC CapitalLtd as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. 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.

View our latest analysis for SDIC CapitalLtd

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

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

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 12%. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 20% overall drop in EPS. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the three analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 47% over the next year. That's shaping up to be similar to the 43% growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it odd that SDIC CapitalLtd is trading at a P/E lower than the market. It may be that most investors are not convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Final Word

We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

Our examination of SDIC CapitalLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide more support to the share price.

Having said that, be aware SDIC CapitalLtd is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is concerning.

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.