With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 11x Changjiang Publishing & Media Co.,Ltd (SHSE:600757) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in China have P/E ratios greater than 33x and even P/E's higher than 61x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

Earnings have risen firmly for Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd recently, which is pleasing to see. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this respectable earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

How Is Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd's Growth Trending?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as depressed as Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market decidedly.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 9.1% gain to the company's bottom line. However, this wasn't enough as the latest three year period has seen an unpleasant 5.8% overall drop in EPS. So unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the company has not done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to grow by 38% over the next year, which really puts the company's recent medium-term earnings decline into perspective.

With this information, we are not surprised that Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd is trading at a P/E lower than the market. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

What We Can Learn From Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd's P/E?

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

We've established that Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its sliding earnings over the medium-term, as expected. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Changjiang Publishing & MediaLtd. 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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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.