Yechiu Metal Recycling (China) Ltd. (SHSE:601388) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt a blow with a 30% share price drop in the last month. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 50% share price drop.

Even after such a large drop in price, Yechiu Metal Recycling (China) may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 18.8x, since almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 27x and even P/E's higher than 48x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

Yechiu Metal Recycling (China) has been struggling lately as its earnings have declined faster than most other companies. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to improve at all. You'd much rather the company wasn't bleeding earnings if you still believe in the business. If not, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Yechiu Metal Recycling (China) would need to produce sluggish growth that's trailing the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 56%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 38% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 83% during the coming year according to the lone analyst following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 41%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Yechiu Metal Recycling (China)'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.

What We Can Learn From Yechiu Metal Recycling (China)'s P/E?

The softening of Yechiu Metal Recycling (China)'s shares means its P/E is now sitting at a pretty low level. 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 Yechiu Metal Recycling (China)'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.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Yechiu Metal Recycling (China) that you need to take into consideration.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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