Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002727) shareholders won't be pleased to see that the share price has had a very rough month, dropping 27% and undoing the prior period's positive performance. Instead of being rewarded, shareholders who have already held through the last twelve months are now sitting on a 40% share price drop.

Although its price has dipped substantially, Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 18.2x might still make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 31x and even P/E's above 57x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the reduced P/E.

Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It seems that many are expecting the dour earnings performance to persist, which has repressed the P/E. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Does Growth Match The Low P/E?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 49% decrease to the company's bottom line. As a result, earnings from three years ago have also fallen 37% overall. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 35% per year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 25% per year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we find it odd that Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices.

What We Can Learn From Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's P/E?

Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group's recently weak share price has pulled its P/E below most other companies. 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 Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is higher than the wider market. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the positive outlook. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because these conditions should normally provide a boost to the share price.

You always need to take note of risks, for example - Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a low P/E).

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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.