With a median price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of close to 30x in China, you could be forgiven for feeling indifferent about Western Superconducting Technologies Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:688122) P/E ratio of 33.1x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Western Superconducting Technologies' earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to strengthen positively, which has kept the P/E from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a relatively elevated price for a company with this sort of growth profile.

How Is Western Superconducting Technologies' Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Western Superconducting Technologies would need to produce growth that's similar to the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 30%. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 93% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been more than adequate for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 23% per year as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 21% per year, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's curious that Western Superconducting Technologies' P/E sits in line with the majority of other companies. It may be that most investors aren't convinced the company can achieve future growth expectations.

The Final Word

It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator.

We've established that Western Superconducting Technologies currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

Before you take the next step, you should know about the 2 warning signs for Western Superconducting Technologies that we have uncovered.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Western Superconducting Technologies, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there.

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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.