China Tungsten And Hightech Materials Co.,Ltd (SZSE:000657) shares have continued their recent momentum with a 27% gain in the last month alone. Taking a wider view, although not as strong as the last month, the full year gain of 23% is also fairly reasonable.

Following the firm bounce in price, China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 43.3x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in China, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 36x and even P/E's below 21x are quite common. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the elevated P/E.

With earnings that are retreating more than the market's of late, China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd has been very sluggish. One possibility is that the P/E is high because investors think the company will turn things around completely and accelerate past most others in the market. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

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

China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver solid growth, and importantly, perform better than the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 15%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 21% in aggregate. Accordingly, shareholders would have felt downbeat about the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 41% during the coming year according to the five analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 40% growth , the company is positioned for a comparable earnings result.

In light of this, it's curious that China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently many investors in the company are more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Although, additional gains will be difficult to achieve as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh down the share price eventually.

The Key Takeaway

The large bounce in China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd's shares has lifted the company's P/E to a fairly high level. 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.

Our examination of China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd's analyst forecasts revealed that its market-matching earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are uncomfortable with the relatively high share price as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. This places shareholders' investments at risk and potential investors in danger of paying an unnecessary premium.

Having said that, be aware China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning.

If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on China Tungsten And Hightech MaterialsLtd, 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.