When close to half the companies in China have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 30x, you may consider Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and Technologies Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002443) as a highly attractive investment with its 10x 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.

Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings at a solid pace. 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 that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd

How Is Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd's Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 21%. Despite this strong recent growth, it's still struggling to catch up as its three-year EPS frustratingly shrank by 47% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 42% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture.

With this information, we are not surprised that Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd is trading at a P/E lower than the market. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as recent earnings trends are already weighing down the shares.

The Bottom Line On Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd's P/E

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd that you need to take into consideration.

You might be able to find a better investment than Zhejiang Kingland Pipeline and TechnologiesLtd. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a low P/E (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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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.