BIEM.L.FDLKK Garment Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:002832) shareholders would be excited to see that the share price has had a great month, posting a 28% gain and recovering from prior weakness. Not all shareholders will be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down a very disappointing 28% in the last twelve months.

Even after such a large jump in price, BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 14.2x might still 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 30x and even P/E's above 58x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd has been doing quite well of late. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 15% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 56% overall rise in EPS, aided somewhat by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 18% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be similar to the 19% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

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

What We Can Learn From BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd's P/E?

Even after such a strong price move, BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd's P/E still trails the rest of the market significantly. 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.

Our examination of BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't contributing to its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see an average earnings outlook with market-like growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing pressure on the P/E ratio. At least the risk of a price drop looks to be subdued, but investors seem to think future earnings could see some volatility.

And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd you should know about.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on BIEM.L.FDLKK GarmentLtd, 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.