With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 43.5x Zhende Medical Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603301) may be sending bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios under 30x and even P/E's lower than 19x are not unusual. 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.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Zhende Medical's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. It might be that many expect the dour earnings performance to recover substantially, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be extremely nervous about the viability of the share price.

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 Zhende Medical's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine 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 74%. This means it has also seen a slide in earnings over the longer-term as EPS is down 96% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should generate growth of 311% as estimated by the lone analyst watching the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 37%, which is noticeably less attractive.

In light of this, it's understandable that Zhende Medical's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Final Word

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Zhende Medical maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. Unless these conditions change, they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Zhende Medical you should be aware of.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Zhende Medical. 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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