Jutze Intelligence Technology Co.,Ltd's (SZSE:300802) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 42.3x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 31x and even P/E's below 19x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's as high as it is.

Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd certainly has been doing a great job lately as it's been growing earnings at a really rapid pace. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings growth will be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd

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

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as high as Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 36% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen a 5.6% overall rise in EPS, aided extensively by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has actually done a good job of growing earnings over that time.

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

With this information, we find it concerning that Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are ignoring the fairly limited recent growth rates and are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects. There's a good chance existing shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with recent growth rates.

The Bottom Line On Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd's P/E

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 Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd revealed its three-year earnings trends aren't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted, given they look worse than current market expectations. When we see weak earnings with slower than market growth, we suspect the share price is at risk of declining, sending the high P/E lower. Unless the recent medium-term conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd that we have uncovered.

You might be able to find a better investment than Jutze Intelligence TechnologyLtd. 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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