With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 16.8x Chongqing Water Group Co.,Ltd. (SHSE:601158) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that 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. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

Chongqing Water GroupLtd's negative earnings growth of late has neither been better nor worse than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think the company's earnings may begin to slide even faster. You'd much rather the company wasn't bleeding earnings if you still believe in the business. In saying that, existing shareholders may feel hopeful about the share price if the company's earnings continue tracking the market.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

Chongqing Water GroupLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than 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 3.5%. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 3.5% overall. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 5.8% as estimated by the sole analyst watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 41% growth , the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Chongqing Water GroupLtd is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently many shareholders weren't comfortable holding on while the company is potentially eyeing a less prosperous future.

The Bottom Line On Chongqing Water GroupLtd'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.

We've established that Chongqing Water GroupLtd maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast growth being lower than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Chongqing Water GroupLtd, and understanding should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Chongqing Water GroupLtd. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have reasonable P/E ratios and have grown earnings strongly.

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