Zhejiang Communications Technology Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002061) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 6.9x might make it look like a strong buy right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 28x and even P/E's above 53x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly reduced P/E.

Zhejiang Communications Technology could be doing better as its earnings have been going backwards lately while most other companies have been seeing positive earnings growth. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to get any better. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

Is There Any Growth For Zhejiang Communications Technology?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Zhejiang Communications Technology's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings, the company posted a result that saw barely any deviation from a year ago. Regardless, EPS has managed to lift by a handy 6.8% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the earlier period of growth. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 22% per annum as estimated by the dual analysts watching the company. With the market predicted to deliver 24% growth each year, the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Zhejiang Communications Technology's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders are doubtful of the forecasts and have been accepting lower selling prices.

The Bottom Line On Zhejiang Communications Technology'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 Zhejiang Communications Technology currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its forecast growth is in line with the wider market. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching the outlook. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

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

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.

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